This is the pre-acceptance version of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in Journal of Digital Media & Policy, a unit of Intellect/Ingenta publishing, available at https://doi.org/10.1386/jdmp_00026_1. Please use the following citation: Anghelcev, George; Sar, Sela; Martin, Justin; Moultrie, Jas L. (2020). Is heavy binge-watching a socially driven behaviour? Exploring differences between heavy, regular and non-binge-watchers. Journal of Digital Media & Policy, DOI: 10.1386/jdmp_00026_1 1 Is Heavy Binge-Watching A Socially Driven Behaviour? Exploring Differences Between Heavy, Regular and Non-Binge-Watchers Results of an online survey suggest that heavy binge-watching might be in part socially motivated. Among a sample of US college students, heavy binge-watchers were more likely to be opinion leaders and to experience Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) than regular binge-watchers or non-binge-watchers. They also reported higher levels of parasocial engagement with the shows’ characters than other viewers. Contrary to common beliefs, heavy binge-watching did not come at the cost of decreased social engagement. Quite the opposite: heavy binge-watchers reported spending significantly more time in interactions with friends and family on a daily basis than non-binge- watchers. Heavy binge-watching was also modestly associated with a few negative outcomes (loss of sleep and decrease in productivity). For Personal Use Only