Netflix and Chill

Kenzie McCoy

What was once an innocent phrase to portray a relaxing night of watching the popular TV and movie streaming app Netflix, now has become a social media phenomenon associated with teenage hookups and one night stands.

Before 2014, tweets and Facebook status’s stating the phrase Netflix and chill weren’t associated with anything but an image of someone relaxing in their pajamas, possibly eating pizza, and enjoying episodes of their favorite Netflix TV show.

However, in 2015, the phrase, and its new sexual meaning, went viral on all forms of social media. Today, anyone can open twitter, search #netflixandchill, and become immersed with photos and tweets that no longer just refer to relaxing watching Netflix by yourself.

In April, Netflix and chill was officially added into Urban Dictionary’s long list of pop culture sayings and phrases. Photos of pregnant women with the caption “straight out of Netflix and chill” have popped up over all forms of social media, relaying the effects of this new trend.

“I’ve seen [Netflix and chill] a lot on Twitter recently,” said Isaac Pridey, a sophomore business marketing major. “Just the other day I saw a picture about the [movie] A Series of Unfortunate Events and the picture said Netflix and chill is about to get real serious.”

Netflix and chill has made its way into song lyrics with B.o.B’s song called “Netflix and Chill.” Facebook has numerous Netflix and chill groups and different memes surrounding the phrase pop up on social media feeds daily. On the recently released iPhone app called TikiTak, users can send the hookup phrase, Netflix and chill, to other users.

“[Netflix and chill] is everywhere,” said Hillary Ronnebaum, a sophomore nursing major. “I see it on [the app] Yik Yak and it’s annoying because people are desperately trying to have sexual intercourse with each other through an anonymous app. You shouldn’t expect to hook up with someone just because you invited them over to watch Netflix.”