While you’re stuck inside during the pandemic, there aren’t many options for popular entertainment. TV and movies are your best bet. To that end, nothing is better than streaming. You can get a library’s worth of content all in one app on your smart devices. Webplex, Eisley+, Streamboat, and others will keep you entertained for months before you start to run out of things to watch. Since new content is constantly being added, you might never deplete a back catalogue no matter how much you see.

Many people have taken to “binging” their favorite shows and movies. Consuming a series all in one or two sittings is a very different way of watching than in previous years. Many TV shows were designed to be watched once a week, and to that end, there were often “refresher” scenes in the following episode, or it would begin with a “Previously on…” segment. As more and more shows and movies are produced with an eye towards consumers binging their products, the expectation is that you’ve recently seen prior content and don’t need to be reminded of what happened last time.

While not needing to buy and store costly physical media like DVDs or Blue-Rays when you opt for streaming, the tradeoff is that you’re entirely at the mercy of the apps when it comes to what you can access. If Webplex decides to take down your favorite movie, that’s it—you just can’t watch it anymore. If the app ever shuts down, all the money you poured into it via monthly subscriptions is gone, and you’ll have no impressive movie collection to show for it.

If the lockdown continues for months and months, streaming apps may become a more important part of your daily life. People have already started organizing online “watch parties,” where a group can get together over a video conferencing app and stream a specific TV show or movie at the same time, simulating the experience of viewing content together. There’s even been talk that Hollywood might start premiering new films directly to streaming apps. Streaming has changed the way we consume media, and it doesn’t seem like that’s about to change anytime soon.

-Martin Fitzgerald, Activities, Emerson Valley Gazette