It's definitely a thing. I remember when Lost first aired I had lengthy discussions every week with friends, I even logged into Lostpedia to browse, exchange theories etc.
By comparison, the first Netflix show I remember really watching was House of Cards. Tried to have conversations with friends about it but inevitably you'd start with "oh, what episode are you on? Is that the one with the...? So you haven't seen...?".
Discussing an entire season when it's complete is definitely less fulfilling than discussing each episode. Depending on the show, of course.
On the other hand, watching episode a week sux. By the end of a season, you don't remember what happened 3 months ago. The series got much better writing over time - but the consequence is that I actually want to see it as a whole instead of little by little with mandatory breaks.
I am not sure it is for me, because I did not watched Naruto and being forced to rewatch same scenes does not exactly sound like fun to me. I do not remember stuff from three months ago, but also it is not complete amnesia.
I like a lot how modern series are written and done. I find it to be massive improvement over what movies and series used to be when I was young. I like the one long story aspect of it all. I just do not want to watch it in one episode a week schedule.
Of course that happens, but that doesn't mean people won't watch recommended shows that are already complete, especially younger people who only know this way.
By comparison, the first Netflix show I remember really watching was House of Cards. Tried to have conversations with friends about it but inevitably you'd start with "oh, what episode are you on? Is that the one with the...? So you haven't seen...?".
Discussing an entire season when it's complete is definitely less fulfilling than discussing each episode. Depending on the show, of course.