(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

[melannen]

It's weird, if I spend a year or two in a living situation where there's never background voices, I end up where I can't tune them out, either, but when I've spent a year or so in a place where the TV or radio is usually on (or there's people chatting that I can hear) within a couple months I get to where I can decide whether to tune them out or not. (Usually. I can't write fiction when there's voices in the background, but other than that....) Plus in the house I grew up in, TV time meant do-crafts-or-something-with-your-hands time, so I'm used to TV on to mean I'm also doing something else.

I find it high-pressure because I feel like with a lot of other social activities, it's pretty easy to redirect if it's not working, but once you're Watching A Thing, you've both committed to watching it to the end, and if it's not working it gets *excruciating* (or you have to incredibly awkwardly figure out how to turn it off without implying that you're rejecting the person.) I have all the social anxiety of Are We Being Entertained without actually having any control over the entertainment. That's probably why I'm better at having it on in the background - you can redirect into conversations or games or something without having to make a production out of it. (....also, never make me pick the restaurant if we don't all already know we like it. same problem.)

[skygiants]

My mom is one of those people who wants to have the TV on ALL THE TIME as background noise -- she can't get to sleep without it -- so I grew up with background TV, but weirdly, the older I've gotten, the harder it's gotten for me to have TV on without completely focusing on it. I dunno why! I've also just gotten more sensitive to background voices in general. (One-sided phone conversations that I can't help but hear! THE WORST OF ALL.)

(Oh man, the thing about living in New York -- as a sidebar -- is that I'm always hosting people who are coming to Visit New York and so I'm ALWAYS HAVING TO PICK ACTIVITIES AND RESTAURANTS. ;___;)

[melannen]

We've started telling people "You're welcome to come visit but you have to pick your own itinerary because otherwise we're just going to spend the whole time sitting on the back porch and eating leftovers, like usual." Sometimes this works! Of course we're outside DC so nobody expects us to be New York Sophisticates. :P

[skygiants]

There are a lot of exciting things about my upcoming move to Boston but one of the most exciting things is I'll be a newcomer in a city where lots of my other friends have lived for ages! I don't have to pick restaurants and activities ever again *___*

...except when my parents visit.