Time for a Plot Twist: Beyond Confirmatory Approaches to Binge-Watching Research

The advent of the digital age with its progress in digital technology has been associated in
recent years with an increase in binge-watching (i.e., seeing multiple episodes of the same
TV series in one session). Binge-watching has now become the new normative way to
consume TV shows. Nevertheless, along with its recent massive rise has come concerns
about the associated mental and physical health outcomes. Currently available results suggest
the potential harmfulness and even addictive nature of binge-watching. The psychological
investigation of this behavior, however, is still in its infancy, with most studies using a
confirmatory approach and assuming a priori its genuine addictive nature. In contrast, the
current perspective paper argues the case for an exploratory approach as an initial step for
conducting research on behaviors that − at first sight − look like addiction when applying a
symptom-based approach. A qualitative understanding of the phenomenological
characteristics of binge-watching as the foundation of an initial comprehensive discussion
makes it possible to formulate hypotheses concerning its potentially addictive nature and to
emphasize challenges and directions for future research. Here we propose an exploration of
the dynamics of binge-watching behavior based on a model involving emotion regulation in
the etiology and maintenance of problem binge-watching.