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From “Orange is the New Black” to “Stranger Things,” there is no denying that Netflix’s streaming service has had a profound impact on almost every millennial's life. In fact, according to a Mar. 23 survey by Deloitte, the average young American binge-watches TV for five hours straight. While Netflix and its competitors Hulu and Amazon Instant Video have made our viewing experiences more enjoyable, they have also isolated us in the process. 

With all the variety that the websites have to offer it is inevitable that people tune into different programs, but when compared to older sitcoms like “Friends” and “Cheers,” no recent shows have been able to draw people together to the same extent. 

In the past it was universally assumed that, every Sunday, each American was sitting on their couch at 8 p.m. to watch that year’s most popular show. But with the introduction of Netflix, no one seems to be watching the same programs anymore. 

Data from the 2015 to 2016 season only supports this idea. According to a Jan. 11 New York Times article, the two most popular programs that year, “NCIS” and “The Big Bang Theory,” only tallied about 14 million viewers each. Even though that number earned the shows top spots last year, before 2000 neither would have qualified for the top 10 shows, according to the aforementioned New York Times article. 

This is reflected in the “Game of Thrones” numbers as well; the HBO show only garnered about nine million viewers for its highly anticipated season finale last year. These results pale in comparison to the 14 million total viewers of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” which signals that Netflix is gaining more popularity than HBO but still conveys the meager number of viewers popular shows are attracting. 

Contemporary shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld”  bring us together in our search to find out if Jon Snow is alive or if Bernard is a robot, but the numbers of viewers do not even come close to paralleling older shows. To top it off, “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld” are both only played on HBO, a premium channel that not every American has access to, so the divergence is intensified even more. 

As of just ten years ago, channels like NBC, CBS and ABC were the primary sources of entertainment, and anything beyond the trifecta appealed to a niche market, according to the New York Times article mentioned earlier. But by the end of 2007 Netflix released its now-indispensable streaming feature. While the transition to streaming took some getting used to, the decision marked the beginning of the end of the traditional television industry. 

Even though TV played a central cultural role in the 1990s and 2000s, the Golden Age of Television was from the 1950s to the 1980s. Because there were so few programs to choose from during those decades, it was assumed that everyone was partaking in the entertainment, so there was no need to ask, “Did you see the latest episode of ‘Breaking Bad?’” but rather, “When are Diane and Sam going to get together on ‘Cheers?’” For reference, “Cheers” routinely racked up around 84.4 million viewers per episode, according to a May 16 article from Business Insider

The high likelihood that neighbors, coworkers and strangers were all watching the same programs may have provided TV-viewers with a sense of unity and camaraderie unlike what we see today. 

This is not to say that television shows themselves have worsened over the years, but because of the increase in both channels and programs, there are more options. 

And the popularity of Netflix just throws another monkey wrench into the equation. While the site might just be the best thing to happen to the entertainment industry due to its convenience and innovativeness, the endless choices facilitate more diverse interests. 

The issue with streaming services, and therefore with the infinite selection of TV shows, is that disharmony is the last thing this country needs right now, even if it is in the outlet of entertainment. While some level of disagreement in the context of a large group of people is not only natural but healthy, it does not seem like too much to ask to have one shared interest among everyone. This is not to say that watching different shows than your friends is bad —  in fact, it could cause you to branch out and explore new interests —  it is just that in a time when this country is so fractured by more serious issues, it would be refreshing to have a light-hearted uniting force.

Despite all of the differing political, social and moral beliefs in America, having five or so universally beloved TV shows — akin to the Golden Age of Television — would be nice, but alas, one can only dream. 

Although Netflix and other streaming services have provided us with a much-appreciated level of accessibility and diversity, they mirror the polarization of the country into separate factions. Hopefully, in the coming years, we can collectively bond over TV as a nation.