THE EFFECTS OF CHANGING FORMS OF WATCHING TV SERIES AS A RESULT OF BINGE-WATCHING ON THE VIEWERS

Abstract

Binge-watching or marathon watching is a new form of watching TV series/documentaries that has become widespread on a global scale as of 2013. With the developments in media and communication technologies, more and more viewers are watching more than one episode of a series through digital platforms more frequently by sparing longer periods of time. This situation creates some effects on the viewers. The purpose of this research was to identify the viewers' motivations behind binge-watching decisions and the effects of binge-watching on the viewers. For this purpose, data were collected using an in-depth interview method, one of the qualitative data collection methods, and analyzed with descriptive analysis method. As a result of the research, it was determined that the viewers' motivations for binge-watching were divided into two; individual and environmental factors. It was concluded that binge-watching caused some positive and negative feelings on the participants, that it oriented the participants towards individuality and isolation, and that this situation had some effects on family, social relations, work, and academic achievement.