What is the dependence on TV series
How many episodes of our TV series “of the moment” are we able to see at one time? Have we ever felt “guilty” for our way of looking at these programs? Have we ever noticed that the “binge” consumption of some shows began to have a repercussion on our personal and interpersonal sphere?
The multiplication of platforms with an offer of streaming programs (films, TV shows, TV series, cartoons …) has gradually modified our way of “consuming” these products: we have the opportunity to access a huge amount of programs with only a “click”, without waiting for the airing week by week and without the interruption of advertising (Smith, 2014).
The wording “binge” recalls the behaviors of “binge” typical of pathological addictions and eating disorders, indicating the intake of a large amount of “substance” (the specific object of dependence) in a short time frame, with the possible arising of depressive symptoms (sense of guilt, anxiety, sadness, restlessness …) at the end of the hiring and with growing repercussions on personal functioning on personal functioning (social life, psychological well -being …).
It defines itself Binge-Watching (or dependence on TV series) the habit for which you can see a number of episodes of a television show or a TV series in rapid succession and in a small temporal lax. This type of vision would allow the video-dependent an immediate gratification.
It has been observed that dependence behavior linked to TV programs, it seems to be particularly interested in the television series, precisely because of their structuring in episodes and seasons and for the peculiar characteristics of their plot (Devasagayam & College, 2014).
Lesley Lisseth Pena (2015) studied the phenomenon of Tv series addiction through a series of interviews, focusing on the identikit of the “dependent on standard”: i Binge-Watchers they experience an internal push of the “compulsive” type in seeing one episode after another, they feel the craving (intense desire to see the next episode) and dedicate a considerable amount of time to view the favorite program (perhaps at the expense of other activities). Over time, this behavior is associated with remorse, guilt and depressive symptoms.
But what connections exist between the Tv series addiction What about psychological health?
In a 2015 work, Katherine Wheeler deepened the phenomenon of Binge-Watching In a sample of college students, by relating it with a series of variables such as solitude, depression, attachment and a series of interpersonal and personal factors. The scholar observed that people with anxious attachment (for example those with the constant concern of being abandoned) reported more frequencies than Tv series addiction.
Even those who had significant levels of depressive symptoms tended to record higher frequencies of “television binge” episodes. The same correlation did not exist if the normal vision of the TV programs was taken into consideration, or “non-bench”.
The result allowed the Wheeler to hypothesize a specificity of the Tv series addiction in the connection with the psychological dimensions investigated.
The results of the literature on the subject suggest the Binge-Watching As a risk factor for the onset of anxious/depressive symptoms but also as an indicator of the existence of these symptoms.
Many studies have shown that the compulsive vision of TV episodes can be constituted as an emotional regulation strategy, blocking negative emotions and configuring itself as an escape route from the problems of life.
Who suffers from Tv series addiction can sink into a real state of “trance“. As in substances dependencies, the compulsive user user can try to produce the positive sensation experienced during vision again and can fantasize during the day on the moment in which he can again devote himself to his program, starting to note repercussions on his personal and interpersonal psychic life over time (Page et al., 1996; Kremar et al., 2010).
- Behavioral addictions