Psychological Impact of Planned and Unplanned Binge Watching among Netflix Users in Lahore

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32350/mcr.61.03

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Keywords: Planned binge-watching, Unplanned binge-watching, psychological impact, Motivational derives, Happiness, Relaxation, Depression, Stress.

Abstract

Following the digital progress and the availability of online streaming services, binge-watching (in the literature often defined as watching multiple episodes of a TV series in one session) has become a popular viewing pattern. Concerns about possible negative and positive psychological consequences of this behaviour have arisen. Based on previous phenomenological investigation of binge-watching, it can be a planned or unplanned behavior. The present study analyzed positive and negative psychological impact of planned and unplanned binge-watching in terms of four psychological variables: depression, happiness, relaxation and stress. Additionally, the study has also specified motivational drives of planned and unplanned binge-watching. Data was collected from 400 students of 5 universities of Lahore: University of the Punjab, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Central Punjab, University of South Asia and University of Management and Technology. Result shows that planned and unplanned binge-watching have different psychological impact on viewers and, both behaviors have different motivations drives

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Naz, J., Anis, F., & Fatima, H. (2026). Psychological Impact of Planned and Unplanned Binge Watching among Netflix Users in Lahore. Media and Communication Review, 6(1), 45–73. https://doi.org/10.32350/mcr.61.03

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