Sixty-eight percent of Americans now binge-watch (Deloitte, 2015, p. 11). Why? One commonly cited motivation is that binge-watching is a more authentic viewing experience than commercial broadcast television (Steiner, 2015, p. 16). Viewers claim that watching three or more hours straight of a show heightens the realism by bringing them closer to the fictionalized worlds, characters, and plots. That sense of being immersed in a mediated experience is similar to the concept of telepresence (hereafter presence), although viewers don’t call it that. The anecdotal motivations collected through audience interviews have qualitative validity but lack an explanation or systematic empirical evidence. Binge-watching is an emerging behavioral hybrid of culture and technology, and it is therefore vital to investigate it from multiple theoretical perspectives and through a variety of methods. This project is an attempt to empirically measure and compare the feelings of presence experienced by viewers under two conditions — binge-watching (BW) and non-binge-watching (NBW) — using the Temple Presence Inventory. It explores correlations between sequential viewing duration and feelings of transportation, immersion, social richness, and social realism experienced under the two conditions. By doing so, it adds validity to the qualitative findings, contributes to the literature on presence, and lays the foundation for future poly-methodic studies in communication and media.
About the presenterEmil Steiner
Dr. Steiner is an associate professor of journalism at Rowan University where he serves as coordinator of the Sports Communication & Media program. Prior to entering the academy, he worked as reporter and editor at The Washington Post and was a member of the newsroom awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. His research explores how technology disrupts sports and entertainment for viewers and reporters.