Binging – a Fad or a Permanent Change in Media Consumption? A Critical Literature Review

Abstract

Binging – and binge-watching in particular – has been receiving growing interest from communication scientists for a couple of years. Thus, after five decades of watching audiovisual content according to TV schedules, a recipient gained more autonomy regarding the content and ways of watching. The author aims to analyse the factors influencing the potential permanence of this specific way of media consumption, with literature review as the main method. These factors include different definitions of the concept, synonyms, applying the binging term to different media formats (binge-watching – binge-listening – binge-reading – binge-gaming), technological and social circumstances. These factors differ in their quality and scale. Will their convergence and synergy permanently change the practices of media consumption? Referring to previous changes in media differentiation, accessibility, and reception, although binging would probably become rather next, but not the dominating form of media practices of leisure time. The cognitive value of the article is to offer a theoretical basis for further quantitative and qualitative research on the reception of different media formats and genres; binging included.