In the past five years, streaming video content has become the popular way to enjoy television and movies.

Being able to retrieve your favorite show or watch a memorable movie at the tap of a finger is the reality we all live in.

Companies like Netflix and Hulu are the two, main streaming video service providers currently.

People can subscribe to their libraries of content by paying an inexpensive monthly payment. This provides them the complete confection of popular shows and movies for their viewing pleasure.

A phenomenon, widely known as binge-watching, is the act of committing your life, and in extreme cases, your soul, to a selected series on either Netflix or Hulu. Streaming your way through each episode, falling ever so blissfully into a show-hole.

Many people possess this guilty pleasure, including myself.

Once you start a show, and your mind is captured into the supremacy of ‘What is going to happen next?’ your fate is sealed.

It is like a contract your brain has willfully signed, to devote your precious moments of free time to the plot of the show.

I am currently experiencing this ultimate  devotion to my current show, Smallville. The show boils down to an expansive prequel to the popular Superman series and how Clark Kent was raised into the crime fighting superhero we all recognize today. This plot-line paired with intense action and multiple bouts of intense drama are what initially captured my attention.

Out of the ten seasons the series produced, I am currently sitting mid-season three. I only started Smallville three weeks ago, so I am averaging about a season a week.

It does not take a whole lot of time to become engulfed by a show.

These past three weeks have been quite enjoyable; Smallville has given me something to get excited about and look forward to the next time I can find out what Clark Kent’s newest troubles will be.

My binge-fest has affected many  aspects of my life.

I have denied multiple invitations with my friends to hangout, due to my fear of missing out on my show.

However, I look at it as utilizing an inexpensive avenue for my entertainment.

Simple as that.

I am saving money by just sitting on my couch, allowing autoplay take me to the next episode, which happens to be another forty-five-minute adventure.

I could spend my time getting ready and going out and spending more money for a short term joy, but I would rather get my $7.99 monthly payments’ worth of endless binge-watching joy.

Some have attacked my lifestyle by saying “You have no social life anymore!” or “What are you going to do when you finish the show?” and I respond simply with “I’ll still be alive when the show is over; I will be social then.”

To me, my lifestyle is not concerning. Maybe I stay up till three or four in the morning, and maybe I only take designated bathroom and food breaks, but that’s completely normal.

I like this me-time I am investing in. It shows  I can make my own happiness without relying on others to provide that for me.

And no, Clark Kent does not count.

You will see me resurface soon, once I finish Smallville. For now, I will be visually enjoying my new-found hideaway.

Happy bingeing.