As I’m writing this story, I have Netflix playing on the TV next to me. But don’t go getting it twisted now, I’m not engaging in “Netflix adultery,” a concept coined by New York Magazine’s The Cut, and the subject of a study by Netflix itself. To be guilty of this is to be someone who lies to their romantic partner about what they watch on Netflix, usually in the case of high drama TV shows like Breaking Bad and Lost. (I’m watching Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol at the moment, which means this story is getting written in small chunks.)
2000 American adults gave input in a study that found 12 percent of all of the people polled confessed to watching shows ahead of their partners, and of everyone in a relationship, 51 percent confessed to cheating. Those numbers in and of themselves aren’t exactly shocking on a person by person basis, and they probably should have polled only people in relationships. But there was more to be found.
Of the cheaters, the living room was the palace of sin for 66 percent, while 21 percent did it while their partners were asleep next to them in bed. 41 percent kept spoilers to themselves, 12 percent would fake their way through rewatching it, and 14 percent let their guilt guide them into a confession. People are fucked up, man. There’s no way I could fake my way through a major plot twist reveal in a show I'm totally invested in, and I’m a decent liar, as my father was Richard Nixon.
Of men aged 18 to 34, 77 percent of all men said they would cheat, while 57 percent of women admitted it. And ten percent confessed to being the victim of the event, which leaves speculation as to who would be "that person" who lies about having a husband or wife who's watching Netflix ahead of them. And we all know anyway, cause we heard them talking spoilers on the phone.
Personally, I’m much worse than this when it comes to the DVR. If I have to wait for it to get to Netflix in the first place, I don’t mind waiting longer. Most of the time. As soon as Homeland hits Netflix, those percentages are going to explode.
We like Netflix around here, and you can find the good shit in our Netflix Instant Alternatives feature. We wish we had a way to erase your viewing history, but we don’t.
