there is social relevance. According to Flayelle et al. (2017), most of the millennials in the
contemporary world make decisions and act upon them due to peer pressure. Hence, most of
them end up becoming binge watchers due to factors such as the need to remain socially
relevant. For example, if a viewer’s friends watch a television series such as Game of Thrones
collectively, then the viewer feeling sidelined will want to watch the same series to remain socially
relevant around his or her friends. Also, social relevance emanates from the fact that most
millennials use social media extensively today (Flayelle et al., 2017). Hence, to remain socially
relevant to social media, some of them become binge-watchers expecting to engage in online
discussions regarding the films and show the world that they are updated when it comes to
watching the respective films (Flayelle et al., 2019).
Theoretical Frameworks of Binge-Watching
Binge behaviour is the excessive consumption of an element on a brief time-frame to overcome
psychological distress or get psychological luxury (Greene and Maggs, 2017). Hence, the
excessive consumption of an item like alcohol is binge drinking, whereas the excessive
consumption of television programmes is binge-watching. Scholars attribute several motivators to
binge-watching. The motivators can either be psychological or physical (Sung et al., 2018).
However, most of the motivators are usually psychological as they aim at helping viewers attain a
sense of psychological satisfaction and gratification (Shim and Kim, 2018). Also, it is worth noting
that the motivators of binge-watching differ from individuals due to personal factors such as
preferences and moods. Discussed below in detail are some of the most common stimuli of
binge-watching.