In the last 24 hours, three friends have sent me Brian Stelter’s New York Times article about television marathoning. He and other journalists (e.g., John Jurgensen and Jim Pagels) have been writing about television marathoning and introducing the public to this popular viewing behavior. (Some use the term media bingeing, but I’m sticking with marathoning…
The winter television hiatus might also have you questioning whether or not you’ll return to a show. My students discussed their media breakups last semester and came up with a comprehensive list of what makes them want to leave a show. These are reasons a television show/viewer relationship may go stale: 1. No Carrot to…
After denuding a brussels sprout stalk, I banged it on the counter and barked at Josh, “You shall not pass!” when he tried to enter the kitchen. I was inspired to make this post after I realized how often Josh and I quote from our favorite marathoned texts. Marathoned texts do show up in…
In a previous post I mentioned that Josh and I marathoned Downton Abbey. Although viewing Downton Abbey began for work-related purposes (taking notes on a commonly marathoned text), it quickly evolved into a pure, addiction-driven marathon. I think I was hooked at about the second episode when Matthew, the surprise new heir to the estate,…
Post by Sarah Marshall: In our class discussions, we talk a lot about waiting anxiety, fan activity, and producer to fan relationships. For fans of television shows, waiting for the next season of their beloved series and be agitating. It can sometimes take more than a year for a new season to be released. During…
During the winter holidays the television networks like the fact that you’re off from work, often near food-coma status, and tired of hearing that same story your uncle tells you every year about the time he ran the Philadelphia marathon and had to drive himself the four hours home because his support person (your grandmother)…
From Chris Ferrin: Although election season is over and everyone has had their fill, I’m sure, of political talk, my recent experience interning on a campaign had me thinking about politics in everyday life. This became relevant to media marathoning when I read a Maclean’s article about the recent trend of political shows that are…
From Carissa Risucci: Throughout the course of this semester we have undoubtedly and comprehensively covered the addictive tendencies of marathoners and their compulsion to obtain as much information as possible about a narrative world. We haven’t, however, uncovered where the breaking point in this process lies. In other words: when does so much exposure become…
By Meagan Holung: Ritualistically, when a favorite artist or band releases a new mixtape or album, my roommates are the first to download it. After the download, they plug in whatever device (cell phone, mp3 player, laptop, etc.) they’ve brought the album to through Airdrop or iCloud. The beginning of the process to marathon an…
From Carissa Risucci: For some marathoners, the motivations behind text selection are rather simplistic. I found trends within my interviews of participants searching for, or more often stumbling upon, texts that they could relate to or that made them laugh and feel good about themselves. For others, however, text selection is much more strategic than…