Research shows that more than 80% of you are second-screen viewers, but do you even know what that means? Second-screen viewing is the phenomenon in which you, the viewer, consume shows on a primary screen (TV and/or laptop) while using a secondary screen, your phone. While this action seems relatively harmless, it has led to the normalisation of divided attention. So what began as a mere distraction has evolved into a defining feature of not only how you engage with entertainment but also how large corporations create your entertainment.
Streaming platforms, notably Netflix, have acknowledged the second-screen phenomenon and are incorporating the knowledge that viewers watch shows while on their phones into their production strategies. As a result, shows are written in a way that enables you to keep up with what is happening on your primary screen without glancing away from your phone. This is usually done through expository dialogue where audiences not only need to be shown what is happening but also explicitly told.
For instance, in the movie Irish Wish, the character Maddie reiterates what we assume viewers already know through watching the movie so far, stating to her main love interest, “We spent a day together. I admit it was a beautiful day filled with dramatic vistas, but tomorrow I am marrying Tom Kennedy.” Furthermore, in the last season of Stranger Things, Nancy asks Jonathan if they are “having this conversation in Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down” in reference to their tumultuous romantic relationship. Usually visual storytelling, such as the dark atmosphere, the blue hues, the vines, and the spores make it obvious whether a scene is happening in Hawkins or the Upside Down. But showrunners do not trust that you are paying enough attention to know that the setting has changed, so they tell you that it has.
This seemingly lacklustre form of writing is not the result of untalented screenwriters but rather large corporations prioritising profit over artistry. Screenwriters are encouraged to write formulaic, “second-screen-friendly” scripts that cater to distracted audiences at the expense of shows with meaningful dialogue, visual symbolism, and complex characters. The most important reason large streaming platforms such as Netflix continue to fund and produce second-screen shows is their extreme profitability. Netflix’s algorithms reward shows that keep people streaming, albeit passively. This is why good shows are seemingly being cancelled after a single season while bad shows, such as Riverdale, can last seven seasons. Streaming executives want you on their platform for as long as possible. That is how they make more money, and if they make a show that is too emotionally or intellectually demanding, they risk you logging out.
The second-screen phenomenon affects two types of viewers in different ways. The distracted viewer can watch and fully understand a show without immersing themselves in the storytelling. Conversely, the attentive viewer finds the show repetitive and tedious and feels their viewing experience has been cheapened. The question is not whether these streaming platforms will continue to produce second-screen shows; they will. Rather, is the production of second-screen shows a response to audience viewing habits or are they shaping your viewing habits for profit?
Visual: Mpho Makwela
