Binge Day – September 25, 2024

History of Binge Day

The word ‘binge’ in original terms means ‘to soak.’ To be soaked fully in wet mud, sweat, or anything that you can get soaked in. Since its introduction in the 18th century, the term has been used to describe the ‘soaked-up’ state of anyone who is bogged down in a ton of labor.

With the introduction of ‌comic books in the 1920s, the first trend that was observed was the rapid finishing of the entire comic book series in one sitting. It was common to feel the urge to read all at once and then wait a long time for a new release. The same trend was observed decades later, in the 1970s and 1980s, when cassettes were introduced and made it feasible to physically possess a movie or T.V. show. This meant that people could now watch their favorite movie or show whenever they wanted.

When Japanese magazines began posting chapters of their “manga” comic books in the 1980s, the idea of binge-watching as we know it today was born. A collection of these chapters would then be published as a solo volume of a story comic. The concept of binge-reading was introduced as a result of this collection of chapters being able to be read continuously all at once. All the streaming providers, including Netflix, later adopted this tactic.

Today, a person may view anything they are interested in on any device thanks to the abundance of online streaming services for movies and television shows. The term “binge-watching” in this context simply refers to the act of continuously using a device in a single sitting while doing nothing else. The new “high” is getting up to grab a snack and then coming back to watch something, and feeling proud of yourself for finishing the show or movie series.