100 million hours: this is the total amount per day that Netflix users around the world spend streaming videos, according to expandedramblings.com. YouTube mobile reaches more 18-34 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S., stated by the official YouTube website.
In today’s screen-obsessed culture, The Auburn Plainsman staff decided to investigate what Auburn students spend their time watching.
Netflix is the number-one most used method of streaming content on campus by a large margin, followed by Hulu. Few students mentioned watching live television, owing the usage of websites to their constant accessibility and easy set-up in the dorms.
Students frequently name their favorite shows as “Friends,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation” and/or “How I Met Your Mother.” A few other favorites include “One Tree Hill,” “New Girl” and “Game of Thrones.”
Only a few shows are usually watched using live television, including “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” and anything on the Food Network.
“Lately, I’ve really loved ‘Stranger Things,’” said Carrie Hill, a senior at Auburn. “It’s a new Netflix original series and it’s amazing.”
A few students were asked what the most embarrassing show or video series was that they secretly enjoyed watching. The responses varied from reality shows to weird documentary channels.
“There was this show on TLC or some trash network like that, and it was called something like ‘Sex Took Me to the ER,’” said Hill. “The people had to explain how they got in the hospital, and that’s just funny.”
Abbye Rhodes, a junior in public relations, said “Bachelor in Paradise” was her guilty pleasure.
“It’s such a stupid show, but I love it,” said Rhodes. “‘Catfish’ on Hulu is also hilarious.”
When asked if they could be a character from any video production, students had a wide variety of answers.
“I would be Lindsay Lohan’s character from The Parent Trap,” said Ellie Whatley, a freshman in pre-business.
“That’s a hard question,” said Matthew Stalcup, a sophomore at Auburn. “I would probably be Chandler from ‘Friends.’’
Other characters frequently mentioned included Brooke Davis from “One Tree Hill,” Jason Bourne, and Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones.”
Somewhat surprisingly, however, there is a large population of students on Auburn’s campus that do not watch TV or online shows at all. There are many alternative forms of entertainment that exist on screen, whether it be lyric films, home movies or music videos.
“I don’t really watch TV at all,” said Alyssa Binning, a freshman in undeclared sciences and mathematics. “I watch music videos with all kinds of music. I like all genres.”
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