Are you reading this article on your phone while “watching” your favourite TV show? No judgment; you’re far from the only one.
The “second screen” phenomenon tells us that TV bosses – those in charge of streamers like Netflix in particular – are more than aware that we are scrolling social media or perusing articles while consuming their content. A recent study found that 94% of 25–34-year-olds scroll while watching TV, with 1 in 3 admitting they ‘always’ do it. 91% of those aged between 35 and 44 agreed.
So our top TV shows are now being made under the assumption that we may not be paying attention to them 100% of the time. And it shows.
This isn’t a brand new phenomenon persé, but it does seem to be getting increasingly common. As someone who is a big fan of “background noise” as I work, I’ve often whacked on a sitcom I’ve seen thousands of times while I write. But it feels like some of the biggest releases of recent weeks and months have been made with the same somewhat “ambient” nature in mind.
During a recent appearance on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Jameela Jamil opened up about how writers are being told to “dumb down” the content we watch to ensure it still holds our attention while we doomscroll.
“It’s a directive that’s being handed out by big studios to filmmakers,” she said. “You have to acknowledge that people are on their phones the whole time they’re watching telly. [Writers] have to simplify the plot so that [audiences will] be able to follow along while they’re browsing on their phone.
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“In TV shows, even with good actors, they’re saying really obvious things about what’s happening. They’re laying out the entire plotline and all of their emotions and motivations… The language has become really bait and on the nose, and that’s because writers are being told that they have to write in a way that someone can carry on doomscrolling or shopping online while following it in the background.
“So nothing can be too complex, nothing can be too high end. We are purposefully dumbing down content, and that is leading to a less nuanced, less interesting, less thoughtful society.”
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