Study Shows Streaming is Stressful in Many Ways

I can certainly relate to the findings of a new study by Octane Seating regarding streaming stress. I’ve been affected by every factor that’s mentioned in their survey.

We pay for several streaming services in our house, and I’m always trying to trim them down to save money. There always seems to be a show that someone in the family enjoys on each of the subscriptions, making cancelling difficult.

Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, and Peacock. Every time I try to cancel one of them to save some cash, someone says they watch it. I can’t figure it out because we’re not a family that sits in front of the TV every day.

When we decide to find something to watch, it often takes a long time. My wife and I don’t always agree on what to choose. It seems so crazy that the more choices we have it’s harder to settle on a show.

These are just a couple of the stressors mentioned in the study, which uncovered some interesting findings.

Related: Documentary Everyone’s Talking About Is Now Streaming

Streaming is supposed to make entertainment easier, but this survey shows that it’s wearing us down. According to the research, about a third of us are losing sleep every night because of streaming.

I had to make a conscious effort not to let this happen to us. I decided to set a limit to the “just one more” decisions. While we were streaming Game of Thrones, we would be up until three or four in the morning. I said, “The show will still be there tomorrow, no need to rush.”

Not quite as stressful is the finding that “Only 11% finish the videos they start, with 14% abandoning content within just 10 seconds.” I think this is a luxury compared to the old days of renting videos at the store.

If you don’t like it, it’s a simple click or two to find something else. The study found that “Americans admit to wasting hours searching for the 'right' show, only to give up minutes into viewing.”

There’s also the fear of missing out factor. FOMO is driving some bad viewing habits. The survey learned that about 40% of us watch shows we don’t like. We watch because we want to be able to talk about it with others.

Gen Z seems to be the most affected. One in five abandons a show within 10 seconds, and 62% sacrifice sleep nightly to keep streaming. By contrast, just 7% of baby boomers jump off that quickly, and most get more consistent rest. As a Gen Xer, my experience mirrors closer of my elder generation.

Another interesting finding of the study includes 66% prefer watching on a big-screen TV at home. Only 13% prefer their phone or laptop. I was surprised to read that 16% still want to watch a movie in a theatre.

Another shocker for me is that 40% of people still buy DVDs or Blu-rays. I found that when I used DVDs, I didn’t often re-watch them. If there’s something that I want to watch, it will be available somewhere, somehow. Even if it costs a few bucks, it’s worth it.

You can check out some other interesting statistics in the full study here.