By Natasha Bonfield, News Correspondent

When “American Psycho” and “Holes” hit Netflix earlier this year, campus was abuzz with references to the crazy-yet-still-kind-of-sexy, chainsaw-wielding killer and the nerdy Shia Lebeouf who contributes to the atrocious-yet-catchy rap that plays during the credits of the film. And with shows like “Breaking Bad” and “House of Cards,” it’s ludicrous to be without a Netflix account these days.

The 1997 start-up began as a DVD rental company, expanding its services to include online streaming in 2007. Netflix now has 40 million streaming members, according to its website, and frequently adds new movies and television shows. Among these are original series like “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards,” which gave the website a Golden Globe and 14 Emmy nominations in 2013 alone despite its web exclusivity.

Northeastern is not immune to Netflix’s influence. The News spoke to eight students on campus, and six of them admitted to choosing Netflix over the traditional method of tuning into a television set for entertainment. The preference for online streaming could be attributed to students’ fondness for “binge-watching,” or viewing several episodes of a television show with no break. Netflix embraced the practice when they released all 15 episodes of the fourth season of “Arrested Development” at once. It even encouraged the habit by automatically playing the following episode in a series without the viewer having to move a muscle.

Some Northeastern students have welcomed this fad.

“I usually pick a TV show that I’ve seen on TV that I liked, and then I watch all the episodes of every single season straight through,” freshman chemical engineering major Emma Kaeli said.

Kaeli also admitted to watching around six hours of Netflix a day.

“It’s really easy to start something on Netflix when I have something else to be doing and tell myself I’ll do like one episode and that one episode turns into five,” freshman English major Tim DiFazio said.

With the lure of Netflix and its endless hours of television, one would imagine students would find it difficult to focus on their work. However, many claim that the website is not a major distraction.

“It doesn’t take place of work,” middler pharmacy major Jenny Oh said. “It takes place of laundry.”

But while some are able to hit the pause button and close the window, other students have a harder time stopping the binge. Middler Asian studies major Jimmy Fahy cancelled his Netflix subscription because he was spending too much time watching TV.

With the recent separation of profiles on the same account, Netflix is making each user’s online experience more tailored to his or her likes. “Top Picks for [insert user name]” graces the top of the page, and a scroll down reveals genres “Based on your interest in [insert film name]” and “Because you watched [insert film name].” Regardless of the changes, most students said they are more likely to listen to a friend’s suggestion than the website’s.

Freshman computer science and digital art major Allison Bako said she started watching “Dexter” because of “random recommendations” and freshman biology major Dean Mirabito said he chooses what to watch based on “friends, or things that [I] hear about.”

Although Netflix is always updating its library and offering new shows and movies to watch, most students are confident they know their interests and aren’t affected by these online recommendations.

Northeastern students’ varied interests are evidenced in what they are watching, ranging from British sci-fi imports like “Doctor Who” to contemporary sit-coms like “The Office.” “Breaking Bad” is cited by many students as a good show to binge-watch.

“I watched the whole ‘Breaking Bad’ – five seasons – in the first semester [because] friends suggested it,” undeclared freshman Elissa Paulino said.

Also popular are “Sherlock,” “Scandal” and “Archer.” Although students claimed to be unaffected by Netflix’s suggestions, all of these shows are listed under the website’s “Popular on Netflix” tab. Subliminal messaging? Or are Northeastern students just trendsetters? Whatever the answer, one thing is clear: you need to start watching “Breaking Bad.”