KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Mobile viewing is on the rise as millions of people take full advantage of Netflix to stream and download anytime, anywhere, making “binge-free zones” a thing of the past.
And as it turns out, Malaysians apparently aren’t shy about streaming their favourite Netflix shows in public, even with strangers snooping at their screens.
Malaysians are amongst the top Netflix mobile downloaders around the world and a new survey data has revealed that 80 per cent of us have admitted to bingeing in public. That puts us among the top five countries globally to watch their favourite shows in public with Indians topping the survey at 88 per cent.
Filipinos and Thais are major public binge watchers too coming in at 86 per cent, followed by Taiwan and South Korea at 75 per cent and 70 per cent respectively. Compared to the global average of 67 per cent, it certainly seems that Malaysians are way ahead of the game — though we’re not so sure why people are willing to expose their entertainment emotions to watch outside their homes.
Just be prepared that streaming Stranger Things while surrounded by strangers is making social norms go upside down. And catching someone snooping on your screen during a risque scene on a crowded train is the new normal. The survey, conducted by SurveyMonkey from August 24 to September 7, 2017, reveals more binge watching habits from the 37,056 respondents as per below:
We binge anytime, anywhere — and we’re not ashamed of it!
With a great love of food shared between Malaysia and our neighbour up north, it comes as no surprise that 59 per cent of Malaysians and 58 per cent of Thais binge while eating. Thais even can’t stop bingeing even while at work (46 per cent) and they even do so on their daily commute (61 per cent). Although to be fair, South Korea does it too (62 per cent). Public bingers are from India show no signs of slowing down, as they’ve been known to binge everywhere especially while travelling either by air (65 per cent) or bus (58 per cent).
We’re being watched while we’re watching
Nearly half of those watching on the go have caught a backseat binger snooping on their screen but only 18 per cent of public bingers have felt embarrassed about what they’re watching with 77 per cent refusing to turn off their show or movie.
We’re spoiling shows for screen snoopers (sorry!)
Screen snooping can pose consequences for some with 11 per cent of public bingers revealing that they have had a show or movie spoiled by seeing someone else’s screen. The risk is even greater if you plan to sneak a peak in South Korea where 24 per cent have suffered from spoilers.
We’re being interrupted by strangers
More than a quarter of public bingers have had a stranger interrupt their show or movie to start a conversation about what they’re watching. In India, that number nearly doubles to 50 per cent.
We wear our shows on our sleeves
No matter how meticulously we curate our lives on social media, there’s no filter for laughter or tears in real life. The majority of public bingers have laughed out loud and one in five have even cried while watching in public. Globally, Mexico, Colombia and Chile are the most outwardly emotional countries. However, Philippines (32 per cent) and India (26 per cent) seem to shed tears while watching theirs shows in public too.
That being said, a spoiled show or a steamy scene streamed with a stranger is worth the awkwardness if it means we get to keep watching what we love. So feel no shame in your streaming game!
