When we think of the particular movies and television shows we associate with our childhood memories — the films that allow us to revisit older times through the flick of a switch — that familiar warmth of nostalgia and comfort comes rushing in. We can all resonate with this shared experience: the pure enjoyment of immersing ourselves in another’s story.
Culturally embedded as an emblem of American public sentiment since the 1950s, TV shows and movies undeniably hold a special place in our society. The art of storytelling — from books, to plays, to the big screen — is a timeless form of expression.
Now more than ever, we can connect with storytelling in the most accessible, infinite way through today’s endless output of networks and streaming services. On top of that, the link between us and our screens intensified beyond what we could have ever anticipated in the wake of the pandemic.
Many of us developed a deeper relationship with shows and movies over the past year due to the intense bout of alone time we spent indoors. Out of the numerous forms of screen time, Americans showed a particular increase in watching TV shows, streaming services and movies during the pandemic, according to a study conducted in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, where 43% of participants reported an increase in watching television or movies. Netflix gained over 8 million subscribers during the pandemic.
We leaned on platforms like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max to relieve our grave boredom and pass the time, but what initiated as a filler activity quickly evolved into a steady habit.
The characters on our screens didn’t need to wear a mask, be socially isolated or feel anxious about their impending futures. They moved through life freely — falling in love, solving mysteries and diving into all that life has to give.
Movies and TV started to symbolize something even bigger and even more meaningful than ever before: a gateway to the lives we wished we were living, inviting us into alternate realities that allowed for a perceived reconnection with the society we used to know. It’s easy to build an emotional attachment to what we’re consuming when it provides us with everything we’re missing.
Our favorite shows and movies genuinely begin to fill a void.
Although this all appears relatively harmless, there is considerable danger in turning to worlds that only exist through our screens as a reliable source of comfort in lonely times. When we lean on imaginary stories — welcoming fabricated versions of what fulfillment, grief or desire should look like — we may subconsciously internalize these completely unrealistic displays of life.
We then find ourselves reverting to the realm of film as a default mechanism to relax, to turn off, to go somewhere other than “here”— escaping the stressors of daily life and ultimately disconnecting with what’s around us.
Why does this matter? As time passses, we can get so consumed by the enchanting narratives baked into everything we watch that we lose touch with the value and meaning within our reality. We may begin to passively equate our relationships, careers and success with what we so often absorbed from TV without even recognizing it. The standard of living reflected in film can subconsciously function as a metric to assess our worth and significance.
We’ve all heard the warnings about excessive social media use prompting unattainable expectations or time spent on our phones leading to discontent with our surroundings. The same concerned message about technology and comparison has circulated through the public’s dialogue about mental health and wellness for years.
However, our growing dependence on streaming services— and all the series and movies they continually launch— has created a new sense of worry for our ability to truly connect with reality and find contentment in our immediate state of being. Consequently, we risk distancing further and even detaching from the present while gradually adopting a dissatisfied perspective toward our current selves.
As much as we relish our regular binge-worthy favorites, there is something to be said about the effect they may have on tainting our perception of our own lives. As society returns to normal social conditions, bear in mind how easy it can be to escape through our screens and take a moment to acknowledge the very real, tangible charm of life existing all around us.
