(no subject)

[skygiants]

This is something I wonder about a lot: what are people's favorite ways to watch things socially? If I sit down with friends and we're like 'let's watch a thing!' my inclination is always to suggest something that I've seen that other people in the group haven't, because I really enjoy watching people watch things for the first time while staring creepily at them out of the corner of my eye to make sure they're laughing at all the good parts. And the first time that I see anything that I super like, my IMMEDIATE next step is to scheme how I can get as many people to watch it with me, as soon as possible. (See: Princess Tutu, and the approximate TEN TIMES with TEN DIFFERENT PEOPLE I watched it all the way through in 2009.)

...then if I do that repeatedly I feel selfish because I assume that is other people's favorite way to watch things too, But perhaps it isn't! Obviously I enjoy socially watching things in many ways, but I'm curious about people's preferences. So I made a poll!

Poll #15811 Watching Stuff Socially

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 78

View Respondents

My favorite way to watch things socially is ....

View Answers

Showing something I've seen and like to somebody else who hasn't seen it
21 (26.9%)

Getting somebody else to show me something they've seen and liked
6 (7.7%)

Rewatching something that the whole group has seen and liked and shouting out all the best quotes in unison
6 (7.7%)

Watching something totally new to all of us. A voyage of discovery!
15 (19.2%)

You dingus, why should I pick a favorite, they're all great!
21 (26.9%)

You dingus, why should you assume that my favorite way to watch things socially involves stuff I LIKE?
3 (3.8%)

UGH, I HATE WATCHING THINGS SOCIALLY.
4 (5.1%)

UGH, I HATE WATCHING THINGS, PERIOD.
2 (2.6%)

Comments

[genarti]

Yeah, I hate feeling like the other person is invested in me liking a thing I might not, or like I can't say "you know, I'm not feeling this, can we switch to something else" because they're beaming at the screen. Or because I think they're beaming at the screen.

If it's something new to all of us, I feel much freer to be visibly not enjoying things, and otherwise open about my reactions. I'm often willing to try something like that, as long as there's a general agreement to not talk over the thing I haven't seen before.

I only don't get stressed watching something I haven't seen that someone else really likes if a) it's someone who knows my taste enough that I trust I'll probably like it reasonably well too (hi skygiants!), or b) I can multitask with my laptop or book, so that I can bury myself in that if I'm hating the movie/episode/whatever (although I'm really not good at tuning out audiovisual stuff except by hyperfocusing on something else, so "multitasking" is going to mean "looking at tumblr," not doing anything brain-requiring), or c) the description of genre and general sensibility means I'm pretty sure I'll be okay with it.

This is why in the "let's watch something! Who wants what?" moments, I'll usually vote for either a non-gritty popcorny action movie of some sort, or sparkly shoujo anime. Fight scenes are my movie version of cotton candy.

[skygiants]

IT'S A GOOD THING YOU DON'T GET STRESSED BY ME SHOWING YOU STUFF, GIVEN GIVENS :P

(I made the 'I hate watching things!' bullet for you! :D?)

[genarti]

WELL YES. :p But there are other people who have more dispensation too -- it's just, as we've discussed, watching things takes social energy for me, and often watching things in company takes more, hmm, internal mood-hefting work for me than just talking would be. It can be lots of fun! But if I'm not sure it will be, it can be stressful socializing work.

Which is one nice thing about showing people things I've already seen, if they have wider viewing tastes; I know I like it.

(Hee! WELL THANK YOU. Then I shan't feel bad about having picked it, in a fit of "well some of these other options apply too and sometimes it can be fun, but IF I HAVE TO PICK ONE, SO THERE BECCA.")

[melannen]

I do have a few people I can watch things with and not get all tense, although they're mostly people I can do *anything* with and we usually end up doing something more interesting than TV! (Or they're someone where I know my opinion of the show doesn't actually matter to them and I can just tune out and still not have to socialize, which is a ... different experience than the one outlined in the poll, I think.) And I'm getting better at it in general. :P

I can't really go by genre, though, because embarrassment squick + intense hatred of certain common romance tropes means it's really hard for me to say what I'll like based on just a general description. (Like, I can't even watch Princess Bride with people because they all love it but Westley/Buttercup hits some of the things that make me REALLY ANGRY in love stories, + embarrassment-y "funny" moments, and Princess Bride is supposed to be the never-fails movie for my generation, and I don't know anyone in RL who shares my issues with those things to the same extent.)