Giotto 1

Gabby Giotto
Professor Ben Henderson
CAS 137H
29 October 2015
The Impact of Netflix and Chill
Around the world, peoples lives are crowded by the pervasive
amount of technology present in todays society. There are iPhones,
laptops, tablets, televisions, cars, and even Apple watches that
consume about seven hours of the average adults day (Thomas). One
of the most popular online streaming companies available on all those
devices at all timesNetflixhas become a part of everyday life.
Indeed, along with its popularity, Netflix has inadvertently created a
new set of values and a new moral compass for teens and young
adults because of the recent change in meaning of the phrase Netflix
and Chill. Because of the phrases paradigm shift from an innocent
meaning to a much more sexual connotation, teens and young adults
today have diminished the notion of establishing an emotional
connection with a person as a prerequisite or even a preference before
engaging in a sexual relationship.
Netflix has become so embedded into our culture that when
someone is asked to describe themselves, they often incorporate their
favorite shows and movies that they watch on Netflix, as if those
choices indicate the nature of their character. Netflix provides online

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streaming of television shows and movies to their 61.4 million global
subscribers (Pallotta). The phrase, Netflix and Chill, first recognized
as early as 2009 when it was used in a tweet by user @nofacenina,
Im about to log onto Netflix and chill for the rest of the night
(Roose). From 2009 to about 2013, the phrase seemed to have held no
sexual connotation. The phrase communicated that one planned to
relax for a period of time, usually in the evening or at night, while
watching a show or movie on Netflix, as in @nofaceninas tweet. By the
summer of 2014, however, an alternative meaning began to come into
use. People began to use the phrase to communicate that they did not
want to be alone while watching their show or movie, but would like to
do so with a friend. More and more people then began to use the
phrase as a sexual invitation, and it became basically a synonym for
requesting sexual intercourse. In 2014, twitter users like
@cookie07__99 began tweeting things like, Man I need someone to
watch Netflix and chill with, signifying not that they wanted to watch a
movie with someone but rather wanted to have sex with someone
(Roose).
The sexual inference of the phrase caught on rapidly among
teens and young adults. According to the September 2015 Urban
Dictionary definition, the phrase means a subtle way to lure a girl to
come over to your place, initially just as a friend, so that it can lead to
an opportunity of getting intimate with her while something is playing

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on Netflix (Burgerva). In February 2015, memes, defined by the
Urban Dictionary as an idea that is spread from blog to blog or a
special word meaning trend or fad, began illustrating situations of
Netflix and Chill (Emme). For example, in November 2015, Twitter
user @Start3rPack tweeted a Netflix and Chill starter pack (A starter
pack meme is defined by Urban Dictionary as certain objects,
characteristics, or actions that make up a particular type of person
(Whiteboy17).), which included casual attire like sweatpants and a tee
shirt but also included a condom (Roose). The only reasonable
inference from the inclusion of the condom is that sexual interaction is
expected or at least anticipated when one is asked to Netflix and
Chill.
Google Trends affirms the appearance and increasing use of the
term Netflix and Chill at this period of time. According to Google
Trends, people did not start searching the term until late 2014 and, in
2015, the popularity of the phrase skyrocketed with news companies
and other websites posting articles about the subject. In an article in
September 2015, entitled, How Netflix and chill became code for
casual sex, The Guardian said:
Netflix itself got in on the meme, posting a gif from the film
Clueless, in which Alicia Silverstones character attempts to
seduce a school friend while watching telly, only to tumble

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backwards off the bed, with the caption, Netflix and chill? No,
really. (Rickett)
This rapid rise of Netflix and then the progession of Netflix and
Chills transformation into a request for a sexual hookup spawned
from the technological emphasis of todays society. In the past, when
one liked another person, they asked them on a date face-to-face or by
telephone because texting and email did not yet exist. They would
then have to pick up their date by actually walking to the door and
ringing the doorbell, and maybe even having to meet their dates
parents before finally proceeding on the date. Today, cellphones,
laptops, and texting have eliminated the need for face-to-face contact
when asking someone on a date. Texting or chatting someone on social
media allows one to get a date and inform their date when they have
arrived at their house, thereby avoiding all potential interaction with
the dates family and even with their actual date until they go out.
According to researcher Katie Davis, technology has also
crossed into relationships as a hesitancy to take risks in ones
relationships. They found it easier to communicate through a screen
(Johnson); approximately 78% of teens own cell phones with almost
half of those being smartphones (Madden). Netflix and Chill is a
perfect illustration of this screen communication, which has virtually
diminished the need for communication between the person and their
date. Netflix and Chill provides people with somewhat like a wall,

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or screen to hide behind almost like an iPhone or laptop screen.
Moreover, the need to communicate with each other about what they
want to do or want; the phrase implies the expectation of the date.
Netflix and Chill decreases the nervousness because they know that
they will be able to avoid conversation and they know what they will be
doing. The two people simply turn on Netflix and pick a show or movie
so that they can proceed with anticipated sexual acts. The interaction
avoids anxiety of the first few dates when one must decide what they
are going to discuss, worry if their date will like them, or wonder what
they should wear. Further, no expectation exists that there will be a
second, or third, date. By using such an accepted phrase to initiate
sexual conduct, young adults are erasing aspects of human
communication that are essential to creating an actual emotional
connection and deflating the most intimate human relationship to
nothing more than a casual interaction.
The paradigm shift of the meaning of the phrase, Netflix and
Chill, portends that an emotional relationship is not necessary or even
preferable before having a sexual one. In addition, to the inevitable
impact this finding may have on societys moral compass, teens and
young adults are losing crucial skills like the ability to verbally
communicate and think critically because they prefer to communicate
online rather than in person. Netflix and Chill has fueled that lack of
desire to have a personal and emotional connection because it has

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given people a way to not have to make an effort to get to a point in a
relationship where two people are emotionally connected and desire a
more physical intimacy.
As with all popular trends, people have started to learn how to
profit from Netflix and Chill. Pop Gallery storeowner Kori Williams
created a Netflix and Chill pack of condoms that includes four
condoms, sold for the price of $9.99 on her website:
Netflixandchillcondom.com (Parkash). Netflix even made a prototype
called The Switch, which, by the press of a button, turns on Netflix,
dims the lights, and silences ones phone, basically creating the scene
for a romantic and relaxing night. Netflix users would also be able to
order food through the Switch (Brian). The influence of Netflix and
Chills paradigm shift has changed how Netflix itself views its own
product. Young adults accept the creation of these products and the
increasing appearance of the phrase in culture as an endorsement of
Netflix and Chill, e.g. that casual sex without an emotional
relationship is indeed an appropriate conduct in todays culture.
Because of this confirmation they believe that emotional connection
is not at all needed or even desired before sexual intercourse occurs.
The paradigm shift to the sexual meaning of Netflix and Chill
has transformed societal views in teens and young adults into
believing that emotional connections between people are not valued or
desired before having a sexual relationship. With technology

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consuming their lives and decreasing their ability and necessity to
communicate in person, young people feel more comfortable online
and do not need to risk the possibility of rejection as they would on a
real date. While it may be too early to assess the impact that the
devaluing of emotional connections and failure to formulate close
relationships may have on society, there is no doubt that they have
changed the younger generation within a matter of months. More over,
there appears to be no end in sight as technology constantly evolves to
reduce the need for personal communication and Netflix becomes
more and more popular.

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Works Cited
Brian, Matt. "The Switch." The Switch. AOL Inc, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Burgerva. "Netflix+and+chill." Urban Dictionary. Urban Dictionary, 27 Sept. 2015. Web.
26 Oct. 2015.
Emme, Ayono. "Meme." Urban Dictionary. Urban Dictionary, 10 Dec. 2003. Web. 21
Oct. 2015.
Goldenberg, Sarna. "40 Percent of Americans." 40 Percent of Americans. Performics, 26
July 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Johnson, Chandra. "Face Time vs. Screen Time: The Technological Impact on
Communication." Deseret National News. Deseret Digital Media, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 26
Oct. 2015.
Madden, Mary, Amanda Lenhart, Maeve Duggan, Sandra Cortesi, and Urs Gasser. "Teens
and Technology 2013." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. Pew Research
Center Internet Science Tech RSS, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Pallotta, Frank. "Netflix Gains 4.3 Million Subscribers in 4th Quarter." CNNMoney.
Cable News Network, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Prakash, Neha. "'Netflix and Chill' Condoms Are Here for Your (viewing) Pleasure."
Mashable. Mashable, 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Rickett, Oscar. "How 'Netflix and Chill' Became Code for Casual Sex." The Guardian.
The Guardian, 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Roose, Kevin. "How 'Netflix and Chill' Became Internet Slang for Having Sex." Fusion
Media Network. Yahoo!, 27 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Thomas, Liz. "Computers and TV Take up Half Our Lives as We Spend Seven Hours a
Day Using Technology." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 26
Oct. 2015.
Whiteboy17. "Starter+Pack." Urban Dictionary. Urban Dictionary, 17 Nov. 2014. Web.
21 Oct. 2015.