Photo Credit: Wiki Media Commons
By Katie Persechino | Staff Writer
Instant streaming over instant studying? It’s safe to say that if Netflix watching were a major, almost half of college kids would be experts and graduating early.
Recently, The New York Times published an article that focused on Netflix and its growing success, with over 30 million subscribers, and anticipating more during the first quarter of 2014. For those who don’t know the holy grail of TV watching, Netflix is an instant streaming site that is a minimum of eight dollars a month, and can be played on pretty much any computer device. It is especially popular with younger generations, meaning college students.
Time is usually crammed for Salve Regina freshman Laura Jedynasty as she is a theatre major, yet that does not stop her from taking a small part in the hype. “I rarely watch Netflix, but when I do, I’m usually home probably watching movies,” Jedynasty said.
Jedynasty, who only watches Netflix about once a week, feels that the site is a good way to pass the time and catch up on movies and shows that she may be behind on. Anything Disney is her top choice and most watched. She does say there is one negative, though: It can easily become addicting. That doesn’t really bother her thankfully, simply because she believes it’s a “fantastic invention and is awesome.”
For freshman Lindsay Walker, Netflix is a part of her daily schedule. Though she admits she watches at least an hour of her favorite shows such as Dawson’s Creek, New Girl, and Toddlers and Tiaras on the site every day, she agrees that it’s one of the better pastimes during her downtime in college.
Walker loves that Netflix is so easy to access and is handy, since she is linked to her sister’s account. She agrees, though, it means too much TV because people are obsessed. Walker first denied that her addiction to the streaming site has affected her schoolwork, but then laughed and said “maybe.”
“The compulsion to watch it is a college student thing, but I think almost everyone watches it,” Walker said. She also noted that her parents do not take part in the Netflix phenomenon, though her adult sisters do.
For librarian Sue Small, she takes no part in Netflix watching. When asked if she knows what it is, she laughed nodding her head. She simply does have an interest in it. She agrees that many people watch it; it is just not a part of her routine. She notes that it is a big thing among the college environment, though.
“I don’t see the value in watching that much [TV],” said Small. Though she thinks people are entertained a lot, maybe too much as times. Still, Small prefers physically going out and experiencing her film watching, such as going to the actual movie theatre and making an evening out of it.
