Binge-watching and the Legacy of Excess: History, Pathological Connotations and Culture Transfer

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/GEI2602169K UDC: 159.93:7.097 Original research paper

Abstract

This paper explores the evolution and cultural adaptation of the term “binge-watching”, tracing its development from a 19th-century metaphor for excessive behavior to a normalized media practice in the second decade of the 21st century. Although binge-watching has positioned itself as a standard viewing practice globally, the study demonstrates that the original negative connotation of the word “binge” remains present in contemporary media discourse, despite dating back to a period before the existence of television and electronic media. By applying the process of cultural transfer—originating from translation studies—I analyze how binge-watching, as an Anglo-Saxon concept, is translated and “negotiated” within the Serbian, Russian and Spanish languages. By examining media adaptations of the term in these languages, I have identified three ways in which the concept is integrated into these cultures: 1. by identifying it with a term referring to a pathological state, 2. by retaining the original name or the root “binge” and 3. by using the term “marathon”. Specifically, I analyze the concept of the marathon (marathon viewing, television marathon, and media marathon) as a cognate concept to binge-watching, which, despite being frequently presented as a synonym in media discourse, is not one. In the conclusion, I highlight that although binge-watching has become a common practice, the language we use to describe it still contains a degree of social condemnation.

Keywords: binge-watching, binge, marathon viewing, media marathoning, cultural transfer