How Netflix Changed Society's Expectations of Mass Media & Culture
Picture this: it’s Friday night in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Your family has decided that it is family movie night, and decided to stop at Blockbuster on the way home from school. You and your siblings are set free in the video rental store, and you get to pick one movie and one candy to enjoy for the evening. After browsing through the isles of movies, you are stuck between renting The Princess Bride for the seventh time or Air Bud 2 (because I was going through a dog phase and they did not have the first film in stock at the time). Grabbing a pack of sour punch straws at the exit, and boom-- forty-five minutes later you were ready to head home, but the movies have to be returned in three days or you'll have to pay a late fee.
Netflix, Blockbuster’s biggest competitor at the time, attempted to strike competition by delivering movies directly to your door and the promise of zero late fees when returning. While it sounded promising, as a child I was always impatient and thought to myself, “I don’t know what film I’m going to want to watch in three days when the video/DVD would ACTUALLY get here.” I wanted something more direct, quicker, where I could be more in control.
Then, Netflix entirely changed the game.
Netflix introduced the world to the idea of streaming. All of a sudden, countless entertainment, movies and content where available at the click of a button. No more going to stores or waiting for the mail to arrive—now the content you want, you can get at any time. Sidneyeve Matrix identifies this transition as “the Netflix Effect” (2014).
“Video on demand, or the Netflix effect, is ushering in a mediated culture of instant gratification, infinite entertainment choices and immersive experiences in television fantasies that combine drama and realism in irresistibly fascinating and spectacular ways” (Matrix, 2014).
“The Netflix Effect” has impacted society’s expectations of mass media and culture, changing the way we gather content, even introducing new lingo into our everyday lives (Matrix, 2014). Before Netflix, society took in traditional media. With traditional media, like news broadcasts and public cable, individuals were being told what to watch and when to watch it (Maxxor, 2020). There was little to no freedom in entertainment decisions through the media. Now, Netflix gives the individual control, creating a feeling of empowerment (Maxxor, 2020). Now the power is in us, we get to choose what we want to watch and when we want to watch it! No longer are we scrolling through the TV Guide, only to find a decently good movie that is already half-way over just to be interrupted with commercials. Instead, Netflix has given us that power to choose, with no commercial breaks (Maxxor, 2020). Do I want to sit on my couch and binge-watch a whole season of Stranger Things at one time? Yes, and now I have that power!
(M2Woman)(This is an actual picture taken of me after staying up until 4 a.m. binge-watching the latest season of Stranger Things. Actually, it's Penny from Big Bang Theory, but the emotions are the same).
Speaking of binge-watching, that term was not a part of our vocabulary until Netflix came to be. Now, terms like “Netflix and Chill” and “binge-watching” are common everyday phrases that are part of “the Netflix Effect” (Matrix, 2014). Netflix has also created a new space for people to connect. After completing a binge-watching session of a new tv series, people tend to turn to social media to discuss their thoughts, opinions, and speculations. This “water cooler” talk of the digital age brings a community of people together, where they connect online through mutual movies and television shows (Matrix, 2014).
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