A Reflection of Reality or a Departure from it? Binge-Watching Netflix and Building Reality

Abstract

The study depends on the theoretical level of the constructivist approach, and the coding and decoding model of Stuart Hall, where the advocates of the constructivist approach see that building reality is linked to social interactions and the individual’s subjectivity in building this reality. Social political as he receives from the dramatic content of Netflix digital series.

It was not clear that there is a relationship between the patterns of exposure to television drama shown on the Netflix platform and the construction of meanings related to issues in general (political-social) among the Egyptian youth. TV series, these factors are represented in several external variables such as upbringing, the nature of society, and the educational system to which the individual was exposed. This result is consistent with the assumptions of the theory of meaning construction, which assumes that when a person learns, he associates the information he receives with the subjective meanings he possesses, and then compares them.

Full text

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A Reflection of Reality or a Departure from
it? Binge-Watching Netflix and Building
Reality
Bassant M. Attia, PhD 1
1 Department of Media, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt
Abstract:- The study depends on the theoretical level of the constructivist approach, and the coding and decoding
model of Stuart Hall, where the advocates of the constructivist approach see that building reality is linked to social
interactions and the individual’s subjectivity in building this reality. Social political as he receives from the
dramatic content of Netflix digital series .
It was not clear that there is a relationship between the patterns of exposure to television drama shown on the
Netflix platform and the construction of meanings related to issues in general (political-social) among the
Egyptian youth. TV series, these factors are represented in several external variables such as upbringing, the nature
of society, and the educational system to which the individual was exposed. This result is consistent with the
assumptions of the theory of meaning construction, which assumes that when a person learns, he associates the
information he receives with the subjective meanings he possesses, and then compares them.
Keywords: Netflix - binge-watching - political freedoms - social freedoms - building reality - constructive
approach - Egyptian youth.
1. Introduction
People's TV-watching habits and issues are related to their past experiences of media consumption (Boone, Lasen,
Adair & Popkin, 2007), as well as to a variety of reasons they watch it. Individuals watch television because they
enjoy it, while they may watch it at another time to relieve and overcome their negative feelings (Depp, Schkade,
Thompson & Jeste, 2010) .
Thus, we can consider people watching TV as a way of life; Because the viewing process extends and continues
throughout the life of the viewers, and is also linked to their experiences and develops with their experiences in
exposure to the media and receiving media content (Boone, Lasen, Adair & Popkin, 2007), and content that is
subject to the hegemony of political regimes on the one hand, or of economic interests on the other. Else, in both
cases, the viewer is directed toward adopting dominant visions.
On the other hand, at the level of digital platforms, including the Netflix platform under the current study, the user
has the freedom to watch and be exposed to various diverse and unfamiliar religious, social, and political visions
and content, and the titles of dramatic products and their various fields. The user also has the freedom to choose
the content that matches his interests and desires, as well as chooses the appropriate time to watch it. In addition,
the sites of digital platforms suggest to the user - through the use of search and viewing algorithms that provide
him with customized content - titles of some series and movies that may suit his preferences and previous choices.
In the wake of these digital TV services, binge-watching, defined as an act of media consumption for several TV
shows in quick succession, has become a common practice, though, and has received little attention from
researchers and academics.
It should be noted in this context the role that drama plays in the intellectual, cognitive, and value-building process
of the individual. (Reda, 2002) explains that this role is conditional on providing good and meaningful content
that reflects the reality of issues and problems in society.

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In this context, the study proceeds at the theoretical level from the constructivism approach, and the coding and
decoding model of Stuart Hall, where the advocates of the constructivist approach see that the construction of
reality is linked to social interactions, and the subjectivity of the individual in building this reality. Despite the
different orientations associated with the constructivist vision about determining what “reality” is, researchers
point to its presence in a material image on the one hand, and in a self-image and conscious construction by actors
and social parties on the other hand. Constructivism is concerned with the process of understanding and
comprehending others, the self, and relationships, and takes into account the relativity of human visions about
human and social events and phenomena, and their absolute responsibility for their thoughts, knowledge, and
actions (Ravault 1980, Yanda 1984, Carey 1989).
Thus, the importance of the constructivist perspective deals with the construction of meaning for the viewer in
light of the construction of reality in the contents of various real and imaginary media. The individual constructs
meaning and presents his vision and representations of this reality within the framework of three main hypotheses
presented by (Hall, 1994) in the context of his article on encoding and decoding television media discourse; The
first hypothesis is related to 'adopting', the viewer's endorsement and subordination to the dominant ideology in
television discourse. The second hypothesis is related to "interaction", and the viewer negotiates with the contents
he is exposed to. The last hypothesis refers to the "rejectionist view"; Where the viewer resists the dominant
statements in the television media discourse and produces different meanings in the light of his thinking,
experiences, and expertise.
Based on the previous information, the problem of the study is determined in revealing and analyzing the visions
of young people in the Arab Republic of Egypt towards issues of political and social freedoms as well as receiving
them from the dramatic contents of the Netflix digital series, to answer the following :
• What are the visions generated by the youth of Egyptian society toward issues of political and social freedoms?
What are the limitations of the dramatic media role in this context?
2. Traditional and Digital TV Broadcasting: Approaches and Differences
For many years television has been defined as a media platform characterized by its Linear Broadcast
broadcasting, and maintained an important position as one of the most important media and entertainment
mediums. Because it has been for decades measured by the number of episodes that are watched daily or weekly,
as well as obligating the individual to a specific time and place without the ability to control the viewing path.
With the development of technology and the emergence of the digital public sphere, television broadcasting,
according to researchers (Tay&Turner, 2009), has become increasingly competitive with digital media platforms,
due to the promotion of the concept of “personalization of use” through users’ control over the content, timing
and place of the viewing, and their ability to exercise criticism comment and share content, and in some cases
even produce it.
Mohamed (2017) study also found that YouTube and TV program sites are the main sources that viewers rely on
for their voracious viewing, and they also use smartphones and laptops for this .
Thus, watching drama through digital platforms has a direct impact on watching it on television, and it has become
even easier to watch on mobile phones. The results of the study, which was prepared by (eMarketer, 2019) "
research company concerned with marketing and digital media in June, revealed the superiority of mobile devices
on television in viewership rates; Where an individual in the United States of America spent an average of three
hours and forty-five minutes each day with the computer and smartphones, compared to three hours and thirty-
five minutes for television, and thus the rate of watching television decreased by seven minutes from previous
years. The figures in the study were based on viewing data, studies of consumer behaviors with the media, as well
as traffic data to Internet sites, and ratings of television programs. The following figure shows a comparison of
percentages over years (He, 2019) .

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Figure (1) TV viewing rates compared to mobile phones in the United States of America
All these factors have resulted in new terms related to the intensity of exposure to dramatic content in the digital
space, including the concept of "vulnerable viewing ."
3. Binge-Watching and Digital Media Platforms: Netflix as a Model
Media professionals view binge-watching as watching at least four episodes of a forty-minute program (Zimmer,
2013). However, the study of (Merikivi, Bragge, Scornavacca & Verhagen, 2019), which focused on examining
the definitions provided about binge-watching, showed that most of the definitions provided about the
phenomenon of binge-watching failed to distinguish it from other viewing patterns represented in intermittent
watching and watching single episodes.
Previous studies and research have identified a set of features that distinguish binge-watching from other
consumption patterns of films and television materials. In this context, the study by (Merikivi, 2019) Five key
traits resulted in a convergent definition of binge-watching, defined in viewer autonomy, continuity,
completeness, addiction, and non-mediateness. The viewer's independence concerning binge-watching can be
traced back to the development of the same media technology that began with the introduction of DVD sets, and
then the advent of digital video recorders (1999); This allowed viewers to record certain programs and skip ad
breaks while watching shows; This provides viewers with autonomy that scheduled TV shows did not provide .
In this regard, (Steiner & Xu, 2018) observed in their study that the respondents distinguished between binge-
watching and traditional TV broadcasting within the framework of the possibility of commercial-free sequential
viewing, which was facilitated by video-streaming technologies. Many people stated that they “hate
commercials”, and that they find traditional television today “disturbing” (Steiner & Xu, 2018) .
Another hallmark of binge-watching is "watching time offense". Users also decide when to stop watching
(Newman, 2014), so they are not bound by the TV network's schedule. While user choice of watch timing is a
great feature for binge-watching, controlling downtime can be problematic and difficult; Therefore, the evolution
of viewing style, according to (Macmillan & Copher, 2005) perspective, is related to the events in the users' lives
and the way these events are arranged within a specific context, in light of the personal circumstances of the users.
The (Crimson & Costa, 2019) study showed that respondents' ratings of binge-watching are conditioned on their
past experiences and experiences, institutional shifts in media production and consumption, Western standards in
the production process, as well as the TV watching habits and styles of their families and friends. Defining binge-
watching TV habits through a complex set of social and personal factors .

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Binge-watching enables users to share and generate a culture in ways that influence content producers (Jenner,
2014). Shows and programs that are no longer broadcast on traditional television are being revived at the craving
of binge-watchers, and such programs are purchased through streaming services that do not adhere to traditional
rating-based revenue models. With the increase in the consumption of TV programs across countries, Internet TV
viewers are seen on live broadcasting platforms not only as fans or fans of a TV program in a particular country
but as users generally looking for fresh and fresh content as well. Thus, the idea of cross-border “fans of cheer”
emerges primarily with the cross-border movement of media and cultural products (Ju, 2020).
Foreign literature abounds with several studies examining the motives, culture, practice, rates, and results of
binge-watching. In terms of watching motives, the analytical study of (Starosta & lzydorczyk, 2020) from (2013)
to (2020), an understanding of the phenomenon of binge-watching via digital platforms such as Netflix and others,
and knowledge of the psychological conditions surrounding it; Positive feelings were associated with the binge-
watching pattern, entertainment motives, and leisure time. (Erickson, Cin & Byl, 2019) study also showed that
binge-watching increases the strength of quasi-social relationships,and increases the intensity of narrative
transmission. The study added that the effect of binge-watching does not include only how the audience interacts
with the media, but extends to the effect of these media. on them. The study by (Ramayan, Louisse, Estella & Abu
Bakar, 2018) concluded that entertainment - as the two most prominent effects of binge-watching - have positive
effects on communication among students; Where students are more social with other binge-watchers, this result
consists with the study of (Amr, Gunied & Gad 2024) Which found that Binge-watching can have both positive
and negative impacts, and individuals need to be aware of these risks and take steps to mitigate them such as
setting limits and engaging in other activities.
As for binge-viewing rates, (Warren, 2016 )'s study showed that the increase in binge-watching periods, and the
increase in the number of hours within each period, leads to higher viewing by viewers. However, the interaction
between the factors and variables of binge-watching means that this indulgence is reduced. The study by (Trouleau
& Et al, 2016) that binge-watching is not a consistent behavior among all users; As their patterns and practices
vary among themselves, some users tend to view certain contents outside the framework of their presented order.
In a related context, (Steiner & Xu, 2018) study found that the main motives of the respondents' binge-watching
are determined by keeping pace with technological developments, cultural integration, improving the viewing
experience, and feeling relaxed. The study added that the capabilities provided by visual video technologies affect
viewing practices. And that viewers differ among themselves in their binge-watching and their interaction with
television.
Interestingly, the phenomenon of binge-watching is growing in Western society, which seems to contradict the
general cultural interest in productivity (Broad & Antony, 2011); As excessive television viewing has long been
described as a catabolic action similar to physical disturbances (Vandewater & al, 2005), (Ludwig, 2010) &
(Schroeder, 2015). Thus one can assume that binge-watching is socially unacceptable behavior in a society in
which the production of capital has value above all else. The analytical study (Starosta & Lzydorczyk, 2020)
showed the association of binge-watching with the phenomenon of behavioral addiction and the inability to
control watching, especially among young people. As shown by the study of (Mohamed & Et al, 2017) There is
a positive relationship between binge-watching and viewers' feelings of frustration. (Oberschmidt, 2017) in his
study of the relationship between binge-watching and health actions that individuals take to compensate for
engaging in unhealthy behavior found that the relationship between sleep and compensatory health beliefs in
members of the public was not affected by increased binge-viewing .
In the context of the voracious viewer of digital platforms, Netflix emerges as a world-leading American company
in the field of providing Internet entertainment service, which was established in (1997) as a company that sells
DVDs, and it introduced a new and unique service, which is the delivery of DVDs by mail by offering the monthly
subscription feature. (158) million members in more than 190 countries enjoy a paid membership to follow series,
documentaries and feature films in various artistic categories and languages, and members also enjoy
independence, and they can follow everything they want to watch anytime, anywhere, and on any connected
screen. They can watch, pause and watch again, all without ads or commitments (Netflix Media Center, 2020) .

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Viewer independence has increased over the years, from the beginning of the scheduled television service, through
digital video tapes, to Netflix as a model of self-scheduled service, from which the term binge-watching emerged.
The following figure shows the historical sequence of viewer independence in years.
Figure (2) Historical continuum of viewer autonomy (Jenner, 2017)
Not only was the existing content purchased, transmitted, and displayed through digital media only, but it also
extended to the production of their content by those platforms; Which affected viewing behavior, which he called
the Netflix Effect; It allowed users the freedom to watch more media for less and more easily, and this impact was
seen from the perspective of breaking geographic restrictions in an attempt to maintain important community and
local links, by increasing the viewership of cultural content across geographical borders, global platforms - such
as Netflix - To strengthen social ties between everyone, including immigrants, for example.
4. Building the Reality of Freedom Issues in the Digital Space
The widespread information and communication technology and the emergence of the new generation of the
Internet led to the emergence of new forms of communication that contributed to enriching freedoms of
expression, opinion, and publication at the institutional and individual levels. The so-called citizen journalism
emerged that allowed many individuals - according to some researchers - to break the silence and express opinions
Ideas and attitudes freely and without fear .
The studies focused on researching the mechanism of employing new media by users to exercise freedom of
expression on issues of multiple political, social, and religious dimensions, and studying the factors and
advantages that these media provided for individuals to express their opinions and issues freely, while some of
them focused on careful analysis of some cases that greatly affected on their freedom of expression and opinion,
and reveal the restrictions that face those means and consequently violate freedom of expression and opinion.
Some studies focused on careful analysis of some cases that greatly affected people's ability to express their views.
Most of the results of the studies showed the emergence of a digital public sphere that allows users to communicate
and interact freely in a secure manner.
(Graciyal, 2018) the study concluded that expression in social media is largely through the exchange and flow of
information through accurate channels that allow the exchange of opinions freely. (Mascheroni & Murru, 2017)
found in their qualitative study that young people establish different interactive contexts depending on their
political experiences, and also on how social norms of peer groups are shaped. The study also showed that many
young people view Facebook as an unsafe social environment for political discussions.
On the other hand, (Al-Sharafat, 2017) indicated that social networking sites represented an appropriate haven for
Arab masses to discuss and express their political issues freely, away from security prosecutions. It also helped
expose government policies and announce the zero hours to start protests. The same is reached by (Rajab, 2017)
in his study of the motives for using Facebook and its implications for censorship and freedom of expression, and
(Astuti, 2016), and (Arafa & Armstrong, 2016) by applying the case study approach to identify the role of social

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media in The Arab Spring, and (Gainous, Wagner & Gray, 2016) in their quantitative study on the impact of
exposure to information in social media on users on the political side. The results showed the use of digital space
to express an opinion and protest against governments, comment on political events and issues, and activate
political participation, Mobilization, mobilization, and revolution .
The results of (Hintz, 2012)'s study clarified the pivotal roles of WikiLeaks and the Arab Spring in realizing the
main restrictions that hinder freedoms, especially political freedoms, as well as their essential roles in launching
advocacy efforts that oppose these restrictions on freedom of expression .
The digital public sphere provides more space without restrictions to freely express issues of equality, justice and
non-discrimination, and women's empowerment, says Rosenbaum. She has shown that user-dominant stories are
related to issues of freedom and unity, equality and justice, respect and honor, and that Twitter or Instagram has
reversed the process of shaping user-created meanings. The results of the study by (Noshi and Al-Rubaie, 2017)
showed that the gratifications achieved from the use of social networks revolve around the space of freedom that
it provided to express opinion freely, and to promote the definition of social and cultural diversity within society,
and to modify the distorted stereotype about minorities. (Schulze, 2013) the study also showed that new social
media can overcome these barriers by building networks of followers, friends, and supporters of women and their
rights, and this translates into a real force to effectively support women's eligibility.
We conclude that the digital space has a positive role in promoting political and social freedoms, while social
networks play a negative role in the context of issues related to religious freedoms, through the users' production
of racism, hate, and intolerant discourses towards some groups and religions.
5. Study Questions
The study questions are determined as follows:
1. What is the level of binge-watching of series shown on the Netflix digital platform among Egyptian youth ?
2. What are the patterns of exposure to series shown on the Netflix digital platform among Egyptian youth ?
3. What are the visions generated by the youth of Egyptian society towards the issues of (political - social)
freedoms included in the series on the Netflix digital platform?
6. Study Assumptions:
The first hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between the demographic variables of the
respondents in terms of building the meaning around freedom issues according to the variable of binge-watching
of Netflix series.
The second hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between the visions of young people in
Egyptian society regarding issues of (political - social) freedoms, as they are received from the series shown on
the Netflix digital platform .
7. The methodological framework of the study
A. Study Methodology: This study relied on the survey method, and within the framework of this method, the
sample survey method was relied upon. Because of the difficulty of conducting a comprehensive survey of all
study items.
B. Study population and sample: The study population consists of young people whose ages range from (18-
35) years in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The electronic survey was applied using an electronic questionnaire
on a deliberate sample whose size was (321) individuals, and it was published on social media.

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The following table shows the characteristics of the study sample .
Table (1) Characteristics of young people in Egyptian society
Percentage
Variable
12
Male
Gender
88
Female
12
Secondary
Educational Level
3.77
University Studies
7.10
Post-Graduate
6
Low
Socioeconomic Level
60
Middle
34
High
100
Total
C. Data collection tools: The study was implemented using an online questionnaire, which included a set of (11)
closed and open questions.
D. Metrics for the cumulative study:
a. Netflix Series Binge Watching Scale: The study applied the scales used by (Merikivi, Scornavacca &
Verhagen, 2019), (Zimmer, 2013) and (Flyelle et al, 2019). This scale was built from a question consisting of
six positive and negative statements that are related to binge-watching. By following the following episodes,
by the length of the viewing time, and by watching related to reduced frustration, satisfaction, and pleasure,
or lack of sleep due to the length of the follow-up period, the answer to each statement was estimated as
follows (strongly agree = 2, agree = 1, neutral = 0, Disagree = -1, Strongly Disagree = -2; therefore, the
outcome of this scale consists of (25) points (-12:12), as it was divided into three levels as follows:
- Low level from (-3: -12) points.
- Intermediate level from (-2:2) points.
- The high level of (3:12) points.
b. The scale of the generated visions towards issues of political freedom as received by young people from the
series on the Netflix platform: This scale was built from a question consisting of four phrases, where the
answer for each phrase was estimated as follows (strongly agree = 2, agree = 1, neutral = 0, disagree = -1,
strongly disagree = -2. The wording of some phrases has been modified to suit the nature of the series shown
on Netflix. The scale dealt with freedoms of opinion and expression towards political events, freedom to
participate in elections, and freedom to demonstrate; Therefore, the result of this scale consists of (17) points
(-8: 8); It was divided into three levels as follows:
- The level of rejection is from (-2: -8) points.
- The level of interaction is from (-1: 1) point.
- Adoption level from (2:8) points.
c. The scale of the generated visions towards issues of social freedoms as received by young people on the Netflix
platform: This scale was built from a question consisting of four statements, where the answer to each
statement was estimated as follows (strongly agree = 2, agree = 1, neutral = 0, disagree = -1, strongly disagree
= -2). The wording of some phrases has been modified to suit the nature of the series shown on Netflix. The
scale dealt with freedom of sexual relations outside marriage, gender equality, women's empowerment,
marriage, and spinsterhood. A five-point Likert scale was applied (strongly agree - agree - neutral - disagree -

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strongly disagree); Therefore, the outcome of this scale consists of (17) points (-8: 8), and it has been divided
into three levels as follows:
- The level of rejection is from (-2: -8) points.
- The level of interaction is from (-1: 1) point.
- Adoption level from (2:8) points.
d. Socioeconomic level scale: This scale was built from several questions, namely, the average household
income, which consists of (1:3) points (less than three thousand pounds - from three to five thousand pounds
- more than five thousand pounds), and the type of education ( Government - private - foreign) which consists
of (1: 3) points, travel abroad (yes - no) which consists of (0: 1) points, and the destination of travel (Arab
country - foreign country) which consists of (0: 2 ) Degree; Therefore, the outcome of this scale consists of
(10) points (3: 12) points, and it has been divided into three levels as follows:
- Low level (3: 6) points.
- Intermediate level of (7:9) points.
- The high level of (10:12) points.
8. Study Results
1- Scale of binge-watching, series shown on the Netflix digital platform, among the study population
Table (2) The Binge-Watching Scale for TV Series on Netflix
Percentage
Number
Binge-watching Scale
0.9
3
Low level
14
45
Intermediate level
85
273
High level
100
321
Total
N2 =3.426 Points of Freedom =2 Mean =0.180
The results of the previous table show the high scale of binge-watching of series via Netflix among the youth of
Egyptian society at different economic, social, and educational levels. This may be explained in light of the
diversity of dramatic content and its openness on the digital platform, in contrast to the lack of dramatic production
and its weakness in traditional TV channels; Digital platforms tackle bolder issues than those presented through
traditional channels. The sample of the study is of young people who find it easy to follow what is presented on
the digital platform through Web 4.0 for smartphone applications, in addition to the privacy enjoyed by the study
community during the viewing process, and the curiosity, freedom, and enjoyment of follow-up .
2- The visions generated about the issues of freedom included in the series of the Netflix digital platform
Table (3) Insights generated by binge-watching Netflix series
Percentage
Number
Vision
Freedom
12.1
39
Rejection
Political
72.9
234
Interaction
15
48
Adoption
100
321
Total
4.7
15
Rejection
Sociological
75.7
243
Interaction

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19.6
63
Adoption
100
321
Total
It is evident from the results of the previous table that the interactive vision of the youth of the Egyptian society
emerged towards the issues of the two freedoms included in the Netflix series; This means that they agree on some
issues, such as freedom of expression, the right of women to hold leadership positions, and gender equality. And
their rejection of others, especially concerning social freedoms, and the establishment of illegal relations outside
marriage .
3- Exposure patterns of series shown on the Netflix digital platform
Table No. (4) shows the exposure scale for Netflix series
Percentage
Number
Scale of Exposure
21.5%
69
Low level
53.3%
171
Intermediate level
25.2%
81
High level
100%
321
Total
N2 = 1.408Points of Freedom =2 Mean =0.495 Not Significant
It is clear from the results of the previous table that the average viewing scale came in the first place, and when
the respondents were asked about the viewing rate, permanent viewing ranked first for the Egyptian community
with a percentage of (53.7%) and watching less than three episodes per week ranked first and therefore it was not
clear
4- The respondent’s feeling (from a distance) about watching the series shown on Netflix (the binge-
watching scale)
Table No. (5) shows an aggregate measure of binge-watching of TV dramas on Netflix
Percentage
Number
Binge-watching Scale
1%
9
Low level
14.0%
45
Intermediate level
85.0%
273
High level
100%
321
Total
N2 =3.426 Points of Freedom =2 Mean =0.180 Not Significant
It is clear from the results of the previous table that the high binge-watching scale came in first place, and it was
not clear that there were differences between the Egyptian youth in their feelings (when-after) watching the series
shown on Netflix at the level of binge-watching.
5 - Binge-watching TV dramas on Netflix :
Table No. (6) shows the binge-watching of TV dramas on Netflix
Standard
Deviation
Mean
Degree of approval
Statements
Strongly
agree %
Agree
%
Neutral
%
Disagree
%
Strongly
Disagree %
.81736
1.3839
55.4
31.3
10.7
1.8
.9
When an episode ends, I
often get an irresistible
tension that makes me click
on the next episode, wanting
to know what happens next .

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Standard
Deviation
Mean
Degree of approval
Statements
Strongly
agree %
Agree
%
Neutral
%
Disagree
%
Strongly
Disagree %
.89966
1.2545
50.9
28.1
17.4
2.7
.9
I often spend more time than
planned watching TV series
1.00223
1.0670
42.9
29.9
20.1
5.4
1.8
When I watch a Netflix
series, I often need to watch
the next episode to feel
positive emotions again and
to relieve the frustration of
the current episode's ending .
1.24018
.7589
37.5
25.0
19.2
12.5
5.8
I don't sleep as much as I
should because of the time I
spent watching series on
Netflix
1.10731
.8571
36.6
27.2
25.0
7.6
3.6
I always need to watch more
episodes on Netflix to feel
satisfied
.88829
1.2009
47.3
29.0
20.5
2.7
.4
Watching series on Netflix
for a long time makes me feel
fun
It is clear from the previous table that:
- (When an episode ends, I often feel irresistible tension that makes me click on the next episode to want to
know what happens next) ranked first in binge-watching TV dramas on Netflix with an average weight of
(4.38) and a degree of approval (strongly agree).
- (I don't sleep as much as I should because of the time I spend watching series on Netflix) ranked last in binge-
watching TV dramas on Netflix with an average weight of 3.76 and a degree of approval (OK).
- The overall average of binge-watching TV dramas on Netflix was (4.09), with a degree of approval (OK).
When looking at the results in more detail, the researcher found that, in general, the percentages of approval on
this scale increased on all the expressions of the scale, and that the highest approval statement among Egyptian
society (55%) - was the phrase “When an episode ends, I often feel irresistible tension that makes me press on
Next episode of wanting to know what happens next." 6. The respondents’ view of the issues of (political - social)
freedoms as presented by the series shown on the Netflix digital platform .
Table No. (7) shows the issues of political and social freedoms in TV dramas on Netflix
Standard
Deviation
Mean
Degree of approval
Statements
Strongly
agree %
Agree
%
Neutral
%
Disagree
%
Strongly
Disagree %
Political Freedom Issues
.99900
.7946
29.5
30.8
31.3
6.7
1.8
I think that the freedom of opinion
and expression presented towards
political events in the series shown on
Netflix does not reflect the lived
reality .
.94597
.6696
22.8
29.9
41.1
4.0
2.2
I was able to understand from the
series shown on Netflix that serving
the homeland is not linked to the
decision to participate in political
work .

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Standard
Deviation
Mean
Degree of approval
Statements
Strongly
agree %
Agree
%
Neutral
%
Disagree
%
Strongly
Disagree %
.97169
.7946
28.6
31.7
31.3
7.6
.9
The notion that Netflix series are free
to criticize government officials
reflects the fact that society enjoys a
great deal of democracy
.94635
.7143
25.4
29.0
37.5
7.6
.4
The series shown on Netflix reflects
the government's keenness to
continuously develop its
performance .
Social freedom issues
1.16094
.7054
31.3
27.2
28.6
6.7
6.3
I concluded from watching the series
shown on Netflix that every person is
free to engage in illegal relations
outside of marriage .
.92243
.8795
31.7
29.0
35.7
2.7
.9
When series on Netflix focus on
gender equality, the work appears to
be the best it can be .
1.07469
.6696
26.3
30.8
29.9
9.4
3.6
After watching the series shown on
Netflix, I see divorce in most cases,
which imposes social pressure on the
spouses.
.95359
.9688
35.7
31.7
28.1
2.7
1.8
In my mind, from the series shown
on Netflix, I was connected to the fact
that a woman's assumption of a
leadership position means an
intellectual openness to society .
Table No. (8) shows the general aggregate scale of freedom issues in the Netflix series
Respondents’ Vision
Level
Percentage
Number
1%
3
Negative
92.5%
297
Neutral
6.5%
21
Positive
100 %
321
Total
N2 = 3.385Points of Freedom =2 Mean =0.184 Not Significant
It is clear from the results of the two previous tables that the respondent sees that the series shown on the Netflix
digital platform neutrally presents political and social issues. Concerning the scale of social freedom issues,
approval rates for statements related to issues of gender equality and women’s freedom increased, such as: “When
the series shown on Netflix focus on gender equality, the work appears in the best possible way” and “I associate
in my mind with the series shown on Netflix that Assuming a leadership position means opening up the society
intellectually. It topped the "neutral" category for the Egyptian society, in all terms.
The results of the study in coordination with the hypotheses
The first hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between the demographic variables of
the respondents in terms of building the meaning around freedom issues according to the variable of binge-
watching of Netflix series.

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Table No. (9): The relationship between binge-watching of TV dramas on Netflix and the construction of
meanings related to freedom issues.
Freedom issues
Binge-watching
Political Issues
Correlation coefficient
.022
Significance level
.822
Number
321
Sociological
Issues
Correlation coefficient
.028
Significance level
.778
Number
321
It is clear from the previous table that there is no correlation between the binge-watching scale of TV dramas on
Netflix and the construction of meanings related to freedom issues, meaning that the binge-watching rate did not
affect constructing meanings related to freedom issues. The Egyptian youth sample agreed that there were no
differences between the demographic variables for them (gender, type of education, travel, socioeconomic level)
and the scale of binge-watching on Netflix .
The second hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between the visions of young people
in Egyptian society regarding issues of (political – social) freedoms, as they are received from the series
shown on the Netflix digital platform .
Table (10) Significance of differences in visions on freedom issues in Netflix platform series
Freedom
Issues
Mean
Standard
Deviation
T Value
Degree of
Freedom Df
Level of Significance
Sig
Political
0.0280
0.52229
0.285
222
0.776
Sociological
0.1495
0.47192
0.830
222
0.408
The results of the previous table, and by conducting a T-test, show that there are no differences between the visions
of young people in Egyptian society regarding the issues of freedom presented in the Netflix series, and this may
be explained because the products presented on the Netflix platform is not linked to the mother country and that
the young people’s view of the Netflix platform and its connection in their minds to a presentation Series that do
not address these issues, and the matter may be attributed to the voracious watching of this type of series that aim
for fun and entertainment and follow the dramatic events of the series in succession.
Within the framework of the theoretical approach to the study, which is related to the constructivist vision and
Hall’s model, the meanings generated by the youth of Egyptian society about freedom issues were varied, as they
were received from the contents of the series shown on the Netflix digital platform. On issues of political
freedoms, Egyptian youth adopt soap operas' criticism of government officials; Where which came in first place
with arithmetic mean (0.8411), especially among those who traveled to foreign countries (P = 3,256, which is a
function at the level of significance = 0.042) .
At the level of issues of social freedoms, it is clear that the Egyptian society’s youth of the highest socio-economic
level (P = 4.103, a function at the level of significance of 0.019) adopt soap operas for these issues. The results
show their support for the idea of women taking leadership positions; Where this phrase ranked first among the
youth of the Egyptian society with an average of (0,9907). It also shows the adoption of the Egyptian youth to
address soap operas to the idea of gender equality; This phrase came in second place among the Egyptian youth
with a mean of (0.9626). This result indicates the success of the Netflix series in persuading the youth of Egyptian
society to adopt the issues of modern societies that belong primarily to Low Cultural Context cultures that support
the feminine model and glorify the status and capabilities of women. In general, the results of the study indicate
the generation of “opposition” and “rejection” meanings by Egyptian society’s youth, males and females, to

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address the Netflix platform for issues of freedom, and the reason in this regard may be attributed to their view of
the Netflix platform and its association in their minds with showing series that do not address local issues or agree
with the values of their society, as is the case in the soap operas of traditional TV channels.
9. Results Discussion:
The results of the study show the high level of binge-watching of Netflix series among Egyptian youth, at all
levels of economic, social, and educational levels. In this regard, the Netflix digital platform breaks the restrictions
of traditional platforms and addresses issues from different angles, and the user is free to watch without
committing to a specific place, time, or means, which is consistent with the results of the study of (Trouleau et al,
2016) found that some users tend to binge-watch certain dramatic content outside of their television order,
achieved through digital platforms. It is also worth noting the tendency of Egyptian youth towards watching soap
operas in general, regardless of the platform through which they are shown; This may be due to the history of
Egyptian drama production compared to the modernity of its counterparts in most Arab countries, and the daily
habits of watching series are an integral part of the Egyptian culture and daily lifestyle .
The youth of Egyptian society reject the Netflix platform's handling of social freedom issues, as young people
reject what deviates from the community's values and religious patterns. This is explained in the context of the
great importance it attaches the Egyptian government for the role and empowerment of women and strengthening
their position in society, especially within the framework of Vision 2030 .
The study shows that generating meanings on issues of different freedoms is more subject to internal and external
factors related to youth and the surrounding context. Factors include socialization in its connection with family
and community institutions, open or closed society systems, and some subjective meta-communicative factors
represented in Youth's intentions, imaginations, convictions, subjective experiences, and perceived experiences.
(Ackermann, 2001) &(Thayer, 1968)
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