Citation

Da Costa JCR. J. Health Psychol. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

York University, Toronto, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1359105319877231

PMID

31547717

Abstract

Neoliberalism has given rise to an ideology of healthism, wherein recreational appetitive activities such as binge-watching are stigmatized. Despite this, however, binge-watching remains a widely performed television viewing practice worldwide. Little research has examined the effects that this tension has on binge-watchers' perceptions and interpretations about their health. Using a discourse analysis of 15 in-depth interviews, this article examines how the health subjectivities of binge-watchers are constituted through a complex prism of healthist discourse rooted in neoliberal rhetoric.

FINDINGS suggest that most respondents develop health subjectivities that both challenge and reinforce neoliberal ideology.

Language: en

Keywords

binge-watching; discourse analysis; governmentality; healthism; neoliberalism; qualitative methods; self-care; stigmatization; well-being