Gone are the days of waiting until 7 pm to watch your favourite television show. There is now a plethora of streaming services to choose from: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, and more. The list goes on and on. There are so many shows to choose from and movies to watch, whenever you want, wherever you want. It can be choice overload.
It is wonderful that there are more shows to watch now. But does excess choice end up making us feel stressed?
It does for me. In fact, when I am subscribed to multiple streaming services, I feel overwhelmed. The information overload feels mentally taxing.
Then comes the financial aspect of subscribing to various streaming services. Balancing the ongoing subscription expenses and ensuring that I consume enough content to justify that I am getting value for money from each service… it’s a lot.
Consider this: if you could only use one streaming service for a year, which one would it be?
I ask this question because that is exactly what I am doing this year. I am going to be selectively ignorant and only use one streaming service. It is an experiment that I am going to try out to simplify my life.
I enjoy watching television, but I would prefer to relish the experience without the overwhelming burden of excess choices, stress and financial strain. I am trying to find joy in a more simplified entertainment routine.
But most importantly, by cutting down on TV time, I’m hoping to have more time for the things I really love.
What a wonderful experiment, and something I wish I could commit to. However my FOMO is so strong 🫣
Even worse is the fact that my a) limited time and b) anxiety both see me turn to old favourites time and time again (hello Friends and Big Bang).
I think if push came to shove I’d choose Disney + as it has a good variety of family friendly and binge-worthy content.