Is Watching Documentaries a Hobby?

With a help of online streaming platforms like Hulu and Netflix, documentary movies became one of the most popular art forms of cinematic journalism and storytelling. Not surprisingly, some people consider watching documentaries a hobby, but.

Is watching documentaries a hobby? I believe that watching documentaries can be considered a hobby but the answer isn’t that obvious in every situation.

Like always, not everybody agrees about the question, some are convinced that it cant be considered a hobby, other ones are sure that watching documentaries is a hobby… some say watching documentaries is a need, habit, or even an addiction.

The truth is that it all depends on who asks and how someone approaches watching documentaries, so nobody’s really right or wrong, for some, it’s a hobby and for some, It’s not.

Because of so many different thinkings, I want to offer some good conclusions, so I have decided to write a blog post about whether watching documentaries is a hobby or not.

First I’ll define what the hobby is, then I’ll try to explain why it should be considered a hobby and when it shouldn’t be considered a hobby. In the last question, I’ll write about whether watching documentaries is a hobby, pastime, or interest.

What Activities are Considered a Hobby?

A hobby is an activity that interests you and is something you love doing and look forward to. It’s an activity that you’re passionate about and dedicating your free time to it.

There are numerous activities that can be considered a hobby, some of the most popular are sports, DIY projects, collecting. People also like playing instruments, listening to music, reading, writing, and many more, the list of all activities that can be considered a hobby never really ends.

When Watching Documentaries Should be Considered a Hobby?

Just like watching documentaries, also spending free time watching movies and TV shows can be considered a hobby. Actually, it’s a hobby when you know et least one poetic, expository, reflexive, observational, performative, and participatory documentary film.

It’s a hobby when you’re curious about it and put effort and time into researching it. Watching documentaries is your hobby when you know who The Maysles Brothers, Michael Moore, or Michael Apted are.

It’s a hobby when you’re not just watching documentaries because someone told you so, but you want to actually watch it and feel like it was made for you.

If you can’t wait till you get to watch the documentary, if you recognize little things in documentaries that other people don’t, then it should be considered your hobby

But it can’t always be considered a hobby, let’s take a look at some examples.

When Watching Documentaries Shouldn’t be Considered a Hobby?

There are also reasons why watching documentaries shouldn’t be considered a hobby. If you are passive and don’t participate then watching documentaries isn’t your hobby, if you add some activity to it, like analysis then it can become a hobby.

If you watch it because you can’t think of anything else to do, then watching documentaries becomes your pastime.

If you’re a film critic and watch documentaries, you’re watching it because you have to, not as a hobby that you chose. If watching documentaries isn’t an activity you take time for, then it shouldn’t be considered your hobby.

Is Watching Documentaries an Interest, Hobby, or Pastime?

Interest is a desire to learn more about a certain topic. For example, someone who has an interest in history or some other topic has a good chance to develop watching documentaries as a hobby.

A hobby is an activity you’re dedicating your free time and energy to it, so someone who passionately watches documentaries and knows a lot about them can consider watching documentaries a hobby.

Those who watch documentaries only to make their time pass agreeably can consider watching documentaries as their pastime.

Should You Add ‘watching documentaries’ As a Hobby To Your Resume?

If you’re wondering whether watching documentaries is a hobby or not because you want to add it to your job application, here is your answer.

Think about what you’re trying to communicate to a potential employer, not very often including hobbies adds value to your CV, however, if you are applying for a job in the film industry, watching documentaries can be a great hobby to add to your CV.

But don’t just write “watching documentaries”, rather focus more on what documentaries do you enjoy watching and how does it fit with the work you are applying for. For instance; I enjoy watching documentaries about filmmaking, with helps me to understand the basic principles of making films.

Conclusion

I hope I have successfully answered whether watching documentaries can be considered a hobby or not. So the answer here is Yes, watching documentaries can definitely be a hobby for some people, and a good way to pass the time for others.

If you are dedicating your time to watch documentaries because you want to analyze something then it can be considered your hobby. If your watch movies just to pass the time then watching documentaries is your pastime.