Streaming, Streaming Everywhere—And Not a Drop to Watch

Once upon a time, the biggest problem with TV was having too few options. You had cable, maybe a few premium channels, and that was it. Then came the golden age of streaming, promising unlimited entertainment at our fingertips. So, like many others, I subscribed to them all—Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peacock, Paramount+—each offering exclusive must-watch content.

And yet, somehow, despite all these subscriptions, I still find myself sitting on my couch, endlessly scrolling, unable to find anything to watch.

Too Many Choices, Too Much Paralysis

It turns out that having too many options can be just as frustrating as having too few. Psychologists call it “decision paralysis”—when faced with an overwhelming number of choices, our brains struggle to make a decision at all. Instead of quickly picking a show or movie, I spend more time jumping between apps, watching trailers, and reading reviews than actually watching anything.

The Content Is There—But Is It What I Want?

Another issue is that while each service has an enormous library, the things I actually want to watch are often missing. Maybe it’s a nostalgic favorite that vanished from Netflix last month, or a new release that’s available—just not on any of the services I already pay for. The frustration of finding out a movie is only available to rent (even though I have six different streaming subscriptions) is a special kind of annoyance.

The Algorithm Knows Too Much (Or Not Enough)

Streaming services claim to personalize recommendations, but they often seem to miss the mark. If I watched one sci-fi movie last week, suddenly my entire homepage is flooded with space epics—ignoring the fact that I might also want a comedy, a documentary, or a classic film. The illusion of “endless choices” often boils down to the same recycled recommendations, leaving me feeling stuck in a content loop.

The Fragmentation of Streaming

In the early days of streaming, Netflix had almost everything. Now, every major studio has pulled their content into their own walled garden. Want to watch The Office? That’s on Peacock now. Friends? Hope you have Max. The latest Spider-Man movie? Tricky—depends on which studio made it and what licensing deal is in place this month. Instead of being a solution to cable’s high costs and limited choices, streaming has become a confusing web of exclusives, forcing viewers to juggle multiple subscriptions.

The Search for Something to Watch Continues

So here I am, paying for multiple streaming services and still staring at my screen, unable to commit to a show or movie. The irony is, I know I’m not alone—many of us are stuck in this paradox of abundance. Maybe the real issue isn’t the lack of content, but the way it’s served to us. Or maybe it’s just time to accept that no matter how much we have, we’ll always feel like there’s nothing to watch.

Until then, I’ll keep scrolling.