ACT Writing

Binge Watching
The first usage of the term “binge-watch” dates back to 2003, but the concept of watching
multiple episodes of a show in one sitting really gained popularity around 2012. Netflix’s 2013
decision to release all 13-episodes in the first season of House of Cards at one time, instead of
posting an episode per week, marked a new era of binge-watching streaming content. In 2015,
“binge-watch” was declared the word of the year by Collins English Dictionary, which said use
of the term had increased 200% in the prior year.

73% of Americans admit to binge-watching, with the average binge lasting three hours and
eight minutes. 90% of millennials and 87% of Gen Z stated they binge-watch, and 40% of those
age groups binge-watch an average of six episodes of television in one sitting.
(www.variety.com)

The coronavirus pandemic led to a sharp increase in binge viewing: HBO, for example, saw a
65% jump in subscribers watching three or more episodes at once starting on Mar. 14, 2020,
around the time when many states implemented stay-at-home measures to slow the spread
of COVID-19.

Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking
about the prevalence of binge watching in modern society.

Perspective #1
Modern society is full of stressors that affect our everyday life. People have always sought out
ways to reduce stress in their lives. Different techniques have become buzz words throughout
time, such as yoga, running and binge watching. Binge watching often functions as a form of
stress relief. According to some psychiatrists, binge watching releases dopamine in the brain,
which creates a feeling of pleasure and can help people to relax and relive stress. Binge
watching is the perfect thing that allows people to reduce their stress levels in the face of trying
times.
Perspective #2
Binge watching is a leading cause of serious health issues. When people routinely engage in
binge watching sessions, they become sedentary and rapidly lose muscle tone. This also leads
to an increase in snacking on unhealthy foods, such as chips and soda. Therefore, binge
watching is creating an unhealthy population that is prone to obesity, sleep disorders, and
premature death.
Perspective #3
Everything is fine in moderation. Binge watching is one way that people are able to be socially
distant while maintaining a sense of connection to their friends through things like watch
parties. Being mostly stuck at home does not allow a huge variety of hobbies so people are
gravitating toward a low cost safe way to relax and decompress from stressful days. Binge
watching does not cause any lasting harm and will see a decrease in usage as society opens up
again. People do not binge watch to excess and even though they may be streaming TV and
movies at an unprecedented rate, does not mean they are sitting in one place staring at the
screen. Many people use the TV as background noise to not feel the oppression of total silence
while they work.

Essay Task
Write a unified, coherent essay discussing your position on binge watching. In your essay, be
sure to:
• clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your
perspective and at least one other perspective
• develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples
• organize your ideas clearly and logically
• communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English
Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of those given, in partial agreement, or
completely different.

Planning Your Essay

Your work on these prewriting pages will not be scored. Use the space below and on the back
cover to generate ideas and plan your essay. You may wish to consider the following as you
think critically about the task:
Strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on the issue
• What insights do they offer, and what do they fail to consider?
• Why might they be persuasive to others, or why might they fail to persuade?
Your own knowledge, experience, and values
• What is your perspective on this issue, and what are its strengths and weaknesses?
• How will you support your perspective in your essay?