Binge-watching: Self-care or self-harm? Understanding the health subjectivities of binge-watchers

Abstract

Neoliberalism has given rise to an ideology of healthism, wherein recreational appetitive activities such as binge-watching are stigmatized. Despite this, however, binge-watching remains a widely performed television viewing practice worldwide. Little research has examined the effects that this tension has on binge-watchers’ perceptions and interpretations about their health. Using a discourse analysis of 15 in-depth interviews, this article examines how the health subjectivities of binge-watchers are constituted through a complex prism of healthist discourse rooted in neoliberal rhetoric. Findings suggest that most respondents develop health subjectivities that both challenge and reinforce neoliberal ideology.