Illustration: Tyler Comrie
This article was published on August 3, 2021. We are redistributing it for anyone who wants to speed up 121. Episode of lost It’s now streaming on Netflix.
When Netflix introduced a playback control feature in 2020 that let you adjust the playback speed of whatever you were watching on the platform, it opened up some really weird possibilities. Peaky Blinders Is it really fast? (It’s fun.) Or Too hot to touch At half speed? (Why? Why not?)
To some, the addition was intriguing. Along with its interest in expanding into interactive TV and building an in-house video game division, it seemed like yet another example of Netflix’s growing technological eccentricities. The company’s official explanation for adding the new playback controls was to make Netflix more accessible. (It wouldn’t be any less meaningful if this was just a shrewd message: I have elderly relatives who are a bit slower at understanding these days and are embracing life at .75x speed.) But it also seemed like another example of the company trying to tap into consumers’ appetite for binge-watching, a phenomenon it pioneered. Many of the writers, directors, and actors who work with Netflix initially reacted with disapproval to the tool, but it’s understandable why this might come across as a Machiavellian strategy.
But I’ve welcomed this addition to my relatively healthy life. In fact, it’s turned me into what I’d call a “speedwatcher.” I feel self-conscious about being this way, but it’s made things better.
I know this admission might be reprehensible to you. Totally understandable. That said, I’m not arguing that everyone should speed watch for entertainment. This isn’t my preference expressed as a moral stance defending an ideology of extreme consumer empowerment. I empathize with artists who are upset that their work is being experienced in a way that doesn’t fit their original intent. In fact, I feel the same way when readers tell me that my podcast columns are too long and they mostly just skim through them. Dare You?) I morning What I want to say is that speedwatching helped me solve a very specific problem. Let me explain.
People often say there are too many podcasts, and that this is the defining problem of the medium: a boring person’s interpretation of an interesting opinion. The same complaint can be made about the wellsprings of culture: too many TV shows, movies, books, video games, musicians, sports, blog posts, and so on. This abundance can be overwhelming, but it’s also a great thing. It means that a lot of people are making stuff, and there’s a lot for all kinds of people. All in all, it’s generally better than nothing.
Its abundance do What’s debilitating is when there’s a particular obsession I have: a sweaty, shambling desire to absorb as many TV shows, movies, books, podcasts, news articles, subreddits, subcultures, live sporting events, and so on as I can while trying not to neglect the basics: loved ones, work responsibilities, or hunger. Think of it as a weird kind of FOMO for cultural life. I’m not saying it’s the healthiest thing, nor am I claiming that it necessarily translates to a particularly strong appreciation for those cultural objects. But unfortunately, that’s how my brain is wired.
So I try to get things done as quickly as possible. Accelerated media consumption is not a new tactic for me; my job as a podcaster involves listening to a lot of podcasts. In the podcast world, the concept of speed listening—or what writer Doree Shafrir calls “podfasting”—is not so well-known that many podcast apps even have a variable playback speed feature built in by default. (Why it doesn’t seem so frowned upon is another matter.)
I am an active speed listener, listening to talk podcasts at 1.5x speed and everything else at 1.2x speed. I am convinced that my brain works differently now, having listened to countless hours of accelerated podcasts, but I haven’t had a CT scan to confirm it yet. I have an urge to read very fast, and often pass over contemplative details (sorry). I often skip all optional paths in story-driven video games (though to be fair, many of them feel bloated these days). If I could speed up the last few minutes of an NBA game, I would, but you know, it’s live. And with Netflix’s playback controls, I’m happy to speed-watch TV shows, too.
If there’s been a fundamental change in my relationship with Netflix, it’s that I’m much more inclined to try new things these days. Most of the shows I speed watch, usually at 1.25x speed, are what some would call trash, a term I hate. (And to the extent I use that term, I’m pro-trash. I think there’s value in it.) Sci-fi series Manifesto was certainly not a good TV show, but the premise intrigued me. It was perfect for binge-watching. I tend to binge watch a ton of run-of-the-mill Netflix documentary series, and through these outings I’ve managed to find a few that I genuinely enjoy. This may be a heretical statement, but I binge-watch a lot of anime, as well as certain types of reality TV (though as a big fan of the genre, I watch most shows at 1x speed to get a taste of the drama).
At 1.25x speed, TV show dialogue doesn’t sound comically rushed; to my ears, it flows more freely, with an added artificial oomph. That said, I’m not an absolutist of a proclivity for speed. I don’t speed-watch movies; it just doesn’t sit right with me (at least not yet). And while I do frequently rewatch things, I usually take my time when I do. So all my speed-consumption ploy is really doing is skimming the media universe and marking it for future rewatches.
I’m not trying to defend myself. I know I’m willing to contribute to the further commodification of everything under capitalism. I understand that these works of art and media aren’t meant to be experienced this way, and in a perfect world, each work would be treated on its own terms, everyone would be well supported by society, and we’d have more free time to watch more TV shows and read more books. But this isn’t a perfect world. In fact, it’s mostly a shitty world. I have this deep hole inside me that I feel I need to fill with all this stuff, but time isn’t infinite. So I try to make the most of what I have.
See all
