Netflix: Who are these psychopaths who watch their series at speed 1.5 ?

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You definitely know some people around you, and maybe you are also one of those strange people who watch series and movies on streaming platforms in fast motion. In fact, what once seemed an aberration to moviegoers has gradually become commonplace.

As early as 2019, Netflix began testing this feature. The director, Judd Apatow, was outraged: “Don't make fun of our timing. We offer you beautiful things. Leave them as they are meant to be seen”.

But nothing worked, and Pandora's box was opened. Of course, this practice remains a minority, but it has a growing number of followers. Business Insider looked into this phenomenon and concluded that these viewers were mostly watching reality TV shows.

A reduced attention span?

Some even claim to watch their videos in 1.25 or 1.5 to watch more content during the free time they have. For others, this is a less assumed attitude. They explain that they only step up their pace during their physical activities at the gym.

In any case, this is a deep trend that is not only observed in streaming. Many Internet users have in fact gotten into the habit of listening to their podcasts or YouTube videos at high speed to consume longer formats. For the wildest, a Chrome extension even allows you to watch it in 5x!

And our colleague concludes: “Our modern, insatiable appetite for video content may mean that we have adapted and stretched our brains to watch faster and faster. That's one optimistic way to look at it; the other way to look at it is that our attention span has shrunk to the size of a grape.”

Finally, let's point out that Netflix had spoken out at the launch of this option to respond to criticism. The streaming giant indicated at the time: “We have no plans to roll out any of these tests in the near term. And whether we roll these features out to everyone at some point will depend on the feedback we get.”. They've clearly been positive, which has pushed the platform to move forward.

There is no point in deciding this debate categorically and the choice always belongs to the spectators. For your part, do you sometimes watch certain series or films in fast motion, and if so, why ? Tell us in the comments.

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