Binge Watchers' Peer Pressure

I didn't want to watch Making a Murderer. I held out for a while, and after finally caving and watching the first episode, I still didn't want to watch Making a Murderer. I held out for another couple days by distracting myself with J. Cole's awesomeness. After caving yet again and plowing through four more hours, I still don't want to watch Making a Murderer. But I will. Not because I particularly want to, but because I have to.

Halfway through, here's my take on the new Netflix phenomenon: it's fine! It's a well-made, compelling story that's sometimes bogged down by slow plot development and a pretty unabashed slant in favor of Steven Avery. If you're a fan, I'm not going to say your opinion is trash, but I couldn't blame anyone for dropping the show either. I doubt you can though, because Making a Murderer plays tremendously well for the binge watching era in two key ways.

Let's start with its teasing nature. To slog through a show like this, the viewer has to get a treat at the end of every episode. In a sense, that last revelation is the only part that matters. If that works for the viewer, it's a guarantee he or she will watch the next one. If the first 55 minutes are the pangs of withdrawal, the last five are that one last hit that gets you back up again.

Even though the show is depressing as hell, those final scenes keep you guessing as to how this all is going to play out. I can almost guarantee there's an unhappy ending here, but I'm still fiending to find out what it is. There's a small chance I read up on the specific results of this trial beforehand. And if I do, there's a tremendous chance I'm just not compelled to watch the show anymore. Why would I? If I don't like the journey and I know the destination, why go on the trip?

That's the look of a man who's been bingeing on misery

And that brings us seamlessly to Making a Murderer's 2nd trick. The social media storm created from this show has been unlike any other, while also being exactly the same. There always seems to be one show that everyone's talking about on your Twitter feeds and Facebook timelines. Come April, it's sure to be Game of Thrones, but until then anything can pop up for a time. And shows that Netflix or Amazon release in one big batch are even more susceptible to it.

Am I specifically watching Making a Murderer because my nine Facebook friends are? Short answer: no. Long answer: yeah that's right, I only have nine. They're my nine friends from high school who keep me on a thread claiming it's the only way to stay in touch with each other. The fact I even have an account is peer pressure, so I'm essentially watching the show because my peer pressure is being peer pressured. This is getting too meta.

I just find it a little troubling that because these shows are so easily bingeable, there's an implied expectation that you watch them. For every dose of required reading, you're missing out on the chance to tune into a show that you'll really like. So I'll begrudgingly catch up on Making a Murderer, and by the time I do, something else will probably have taken it's place.