An Experimental Examination of Binge Watching and Narrative Engagement
Erickson, Dal Cin and Byl ask whether binge watching changes audience engagement with a media narrative. The effects of binge watching are largely unknown, though early research links it to a need for escape. Using an experiment, they manipulate the format of exposure, binge or nonbinge, and test the effect on parasocial relationships with favourite characters and on narrative transportation. The results suggest that binge watching increases the strength of parasocial relationships.
Erickson, Dal Cin and Byl ask whether binge watching changes audience engagement with a media narrative. The effects of binge watching are largely unknown, though early research links it to a need for escape. Using an experiment, they manipulate the format of exposure, binge or nonbinge, and test the effect on parasocial relationships with favourite characters and on narrative transportation. The results suggest that binge watching increases the strength of parasocial relationships.
Written from the abstract as shown on the OpenAlex record, read 2026-11-04.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Erickson, S. E., Dal Cin, S., & Byl, H. (2019). An Experimental Examination of Binge Watching and Narrative Engagement. Social Sciences, 8(1), 19. doi:10.3390/socsci8010019.