Netflix’s Audience Feedback - Short Paper #1 (COM 624)
In 1997, Netflix launched with a bold vision to bring watch power to the people in their homes. In the age of Blockbusters, Netflix took advantage of every opportunity to disrupt the consumption of media for the audiences. Netflix, as with many new technologies in the new millennia, challenged the new status quo of the internet. From the changes in language, like “Netflix and chill,” to the changes in how media is consumed, like binge watching, society has shifted significantly due to the technological advancements specifically when it comes to stream-able media (Deal, 2018).
“At once a production house, broadcaster, recommendation and hosting service, and pseudo-DVD rental store, it has found a market where commercial broadcasters had previously dared not tread (Giuffre, 2014).” The idea of having an idea recent blockbuster movie waiting in your mailbox the next day rather than waiting for it to hit shelves in the nearest Blockbuster store was one that seemed trivial at the time Netflix launched. To the outside world, Netflix’s focus was the consumer’s perceived desire for convenience, not the business’ bottom line. To this day, the company continues to focus their eyes on the needs of the audience. In an effort to better understand these changes of communication, we will be observing the benefits and drawbacks of content and media created and marketed by the Netflix platform.
The with the democratization of the internet came a desire for new power structure, provision of opportunity and support for voices that would otherwise go unheard. Miller explains the idea behind this growth, explaining the concept of economic determinism. “This refers to a form of determinism whereby social conditions create environments in which technologies are seen as either necessary by-products of social processes or… were inevitable given the correct set of social conditions (Miller, p. 4).” Netflix’s emergence as a titan of stream-able content could be seen as inevitable to many. This desire from audiences built new way for companies like Netflix and Amazon to emerge to fill the expectations. The shifts in culture made way for the voice of audiences to grow new needs in media. Filmmakers who had once been edged out by major production houses were now given new life in stream-able production houses, supported by audiences.
From my perspective, the benefits of these new technological advances far exceed the drawbacks. “Two-way communication networks allow users to ‘answer back,’ In addition to being able to contribute to the media environment through individual or collaborative efforts (Miller, p. 22).” The benefit of new voices and stories emerging from platforms, Netflix specifically, has been a welcome challenge to the mainstream production houses that have controlled filmmaking over the past century. “The truth is, Netflix is still perceived in Hollywood as the place to sell projects the traditional studios won’t make. Then there are the smaller, more daring projects, like Paul Greengrass’s 22 July, based on the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway. ‘I don’t know who would have made that,’ says one manager. ‘Thank God [Netflix is] doing that stuff (Laporte, 2019).” As the platform gives opportunities to these projects that many studios shy away from, audiences are taking notice. Films like Academy Award winning Roma was seen as a stunning picture of what diverse and inclusive cinema looks like on a mainstream scale. As a benefit, that feedback is making it back to the mainstream production houses that are now having to answer to audiences, as we now see new projects with diverse voices or unpopular stories being green-lit for production.
The downside of this advancement, however, leads to a larger debate and potential risk to that same digital democracy. Although these films can and do give voices to those most often ignored by mainstream media, we know that these technological advancements can also shield us from truth. “To a very large degree, the online world is a reflection of the offline world. But reflections are always distorting (Reed, p. 21)…” This distortion can lead to a complacency in knowing that audience voices are heard. As seen most recently with the company’s step into prestige films and mainstream awards season, there were rumors of push back against the front runner Roma. “There have been reports of face-offs between Netflix’s Hollywood-based executives—who value relationships with talent when making creative decisions—and the techies in Silicon Valley who favor its algorithms (Laporte, 2019).” This push back, though stifled by the artistry that supported the film’s chances, was problematic in the larger conversation of what audiences wanted. The Academy’s voting body, according to rumors, like the ones reported by Laporte, was torn between recognizing the film for what it was and the Academy’s loyalty to the film industry at large (2019). Although the voices are heard, the film’s lack of recognition, and films like it, still are held hostage by a broken system, regardless of the feedback from audiences. Our awareness of this broken system is imperative to ensure that the benefits of the technology is not suppressed by existing infrastructure.
Regardless of their reasoning or obstacles in their way, Netflix’s strategy over the past ten years has been unprecedented. Their advances in technology has forever changed the way we think and communicate in regard to content and the ability for the voices of an audience to be heard and listened to. As our technology advances further, the feedback loop created by participatory media for digital content can and will continue being imperative to support the growth of digital platforms like Netflix and it’s content.
References:
Deal, D. (2018, July 20). How Netflix Is Changing Your Behavior. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@davidjdeal/how-netflix-is-changing-the-world-ddc2708f2063
GIUFFRE, L. (2014). Netflix: New Media in New Spaces. Metro, (179), 126–127. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.queens.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=ufh&AN=94071332&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Hiller, R. S. (2017). Profitably Bundling Information Goods: Evidence From the Evolving Video Library of Netflix. Journal of Media Economics, 30(2), 68–81. https://ezproxy.queens.edu:6464/10.1080/08997764.2017.1375507
LAPORTE, N[RC10] . (2019). The Netflix Shuffle. Fast Company, (230), 24. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.queens.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct =true&db=f5h&AN=133682039&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Miller, V. (2011). Understanding digital culture. London: SAGE Publications.
Reed, T.V. (2014). Digitized Lives – Culture, Power, and Social Change in the Internet Era. New York, NY. Routledge Publishing.