Netflix Therapy as Healing in the Time of the Pandemic

Abstract

This research study entitled “Netflix Therapy as Healing in the Time of the Pandemic” used qualitative research viewed from the lenses of Emergent Digital Literature, focusing on healing as a product of the people’s immersive experience in Netflix and related discussion platforms in the age of social media. The researcher found out that mental health experts mobilized themselves to manage the fermenting restlessness among people forcibly confined to the limited space of their homes. Religious services were expanded, online concerts were initiated, online movie binging became hype as a coping mechanism for many Filipinos at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Watching movies is an effective therapy. Dr. Gary Solomon, also known as the Cinema Doctor, popularized the concept in the late 1990s. As art, literature, music, and dancing, watching movies is an effective form of self-help. The objectification of oneself in the movie character, the entertainment the movie causes (laughter, tears, feel-good), the information, and education values presented—contribute to the positive impact of movie-viewing to a concerned individual.

In conclusion, Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 208 million paid subscribers in over 190 countries, streams TV series, documentaries, and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Based on recent studies, Netflix has become therapeutic to its viewers whose minds are bombarded with everyday living stress, especially during the pandemic.