The Clickbaitification of Netflix(slate.com)
slate.com
The Clickbaitification of Netflix
https://slate.com/culture/2021/08/netflix-top-10-movies-shows-clickbait.html
307 comments
This is why I quit my Netflix subscription.
The algorithm seems to have picked up the fact that I like watching SciFi and Zombie movies, so my Netflix homepage was this dark place filled with Sci Fi and Zombie movies.
One problem with this is that Netflix only has a handful of good SciFi and Zombie movies, and I've seen them all. So the homepage was filled with movies I've seen already, or the dime-a-dozen copycat movies that just rehash some ideas from popular movies in a slightly different way.
The much bigger problem is that even though I like watching Zombie movies, I actually enjoy lots of different movies. But somehow the Netflix algorithm only ever shows me this one genre.
So I cancelled my Netflix subscription, and went back to occasionally renting a film on iTunes or Amazon. I watch less now, but I end up watching more diverse and more interesting films.
The algorithm seems to have picked up the fact that I like watching SciFi and Zombie movies, so my Netflix homepage was this dark place filled with Sci Fi and Zombie movies.
One problem with this is that Netflix only has a handful of good SciFi and Zombie movies, and I've seen them all. So the homepage was filled with movies I've seen already, or the dime-a-dozen copycat movies that just rehash some ideas from popular movies in a slightly different way.
The much bigger problem is that even though I like watching Zombie movies, I actually enjoy lots of different movies. But somehow the Netflix algorithm only ever shows me this one genre.
So I cancelled my Netflix subscription, and went back to occasionally renting a film on iTunes or Amazon. I watch less now, but I end up watching more diverse and more interesting films.
YouTube is pretty much like this but it's the creators selecting the thumbnails.
The most common thumbnail I see is a picture of someone looks like they are blown away with their hands on their head and their mouth wide open.
The most common thumbnail I see is a picture of someone looks like they are blown away with their hands on their head and their mouth wide open.
> users consider each title for a whopping 1.8 seconds
Users are most likely not “considering” them at all. We’re not machines going over one tile at a time and generating a score. Most of the time you’re looking for something specific and just trying to find it.
This type of metric is the worst. I really hope this data-driven fad dies down and we start designing with human factors in mind again.
Users are most likely not “considering” them at all. We’re not machines going over one tile at a time and generating a score. Most of the time you’re looking for something specific and just trying to find it.
This type of metric is the worst. I really hope this data-driven fad dies down and we start designing with human factors in mind again.
Would Netflix have to do this if it actually had content people wanted to watch? It's just sad watching it double down on this pulp because every other copyright holder took their ball and went home.
The way Netflix presents thumbnail images custom tailored to the user is ingenious. There is a lot of insight there on how people choose content based on preferences for star actors, subject matter, tone etc.
Personally however, as an avid film viewer, this massive algorithmic curation is completely not for me.
A cool example and complete opposite of the Netflix approach is the Mubi approach. There, the focus is not on giving me exactly what I think I want, but instead on offering this narrow curated selection along with content written by actual film critics. As a result I watch things that I did not expect.
This curation aspect is something Netflix strategically completely opted out of. And this makes sense - their goal is to have an active subscriber base and achieving that goal doesn't factor in the existing film/tv culture.
Personally however, as an avid film viewer, this massive algorithmic curation is completely not for me.
A cool example and complete opposite of the Netflix approach is the Mubi approach. There, the focus is not on giving me exactly what I think I want, but instead on offering this narrow curated selection along with content written by actual film critics. As a result I watch things that I did not expect.
This curation aspect is something Netflix strategically completely opted out of. And this makes sense - their goal is to have an active subscriber base and achieving that goal doesn't factor in the existing film/tv culture.
Personally although I do see “sexy” titles on Netflix strewn about, it isn’t a big distraction or problem the way this article makes it out to be. The real problem is that most of the content is B tier straight to video content. I’m drowning in choices and I don’t mean within Netflix but elsewhere - I’m simply not compelled to spend my valuable minutes there and these days I rarely load their app. I’ll probably end up cancelling it, as my household has increasingly returned to analog entertainment (books, conversations) over the pandemic, with other viewing time going to content we deliberately seek out rather than content we casually surf. At one point I was hopeful Netflix could produce first party content that was great. But each promising attempt (for example House of Cards, Marco Polo, or Altered Carbon) fizzles and gets cancelled after a season or two. Today I can’t see myself investing my time into their new content because I don’t want to be disappointed by their eventual cancellation, and I am left wondering who their service is for.
I really hate it that when I'm digesting an episode of Rick and Morty I have to scramble for the remote or I'm watching some completely uninteresting series about a family in the 19th century or something. I just want the end screen and sounds to finish and then turn off the telly and go to bed. In stead I feel slapped in the face.
Consistently my watching experience ends with (increasingly large) negative feelings. How can that be a good choice for a company offering watching experiences?
Consistently my watching experience ends with (increasingly large) negative feelings. How can that be a good choice for a company offering watching experiences?
I believe Netflix has talked about thumbnail experimentation at length in some of their engineering blogs [1]. To me, it seems perhaps Netflix has figured out a running theme in the author's viewing habits... perhaps the scandalous, soapy stuff is what they keep clicking.
Same kind of reaction I get when a guy friend tells me they keep getting ads for women's bikinis or women's underwear in their Instagram ads. It isn't sexualization of Instagram... it is a reflection of your interaction with the platform!
[1: https://netflixtechblog.com/selecting-the-best-artwork-for-v...]
Same kind of reaction I get when a guy friend tells me they keep getting ads for women's bikinis or women's underwear in their Instagram ads. It isn't sexualization of Instagram... it is a reflection of your interaction with the platform!
[1: https://netflixtechblog.com/selecting-the-best-artwork-for-v...]
Movie posters have used salacious and sensational words and imagery for as long as they've existed. If anything, Netflix titles have been slowly working toward parity to that standard, as opposed to devolving to actual clickbait.
Let's be real about Netflix: after looking like it was going to disrupt the media conglomerates, I now think that all it has managed to do is wake the sleeping giants. Long-term, I am bearish on Netflix. I would go as far to say that Netflix is slow-declining its way into being eventually acquired by a member of the big six.
Here are the issues:
First: it's basically the most expensive streaming service, topping out at $18/month.
Hulu's most expensive plan is $12. Discovery+ is $7. Disney+ is $8. HBO Max is $15. Paramount+ is $10. (All prices ad-free plans)
I think an argument could be made that all or nearly all of those services are offering a better content library at a lower price when compared to Netflix.
Discovery+ especially...holy hell if you are into reality shows it's endless. And it's $7. I would pay $7/month just for access to every House Hunters episode imaginable without ads, lo and behold my dream came true.
Netflix is doing this clickbait stuff because their content sucks. Clickbait is what you do when your content doesn't speak for itself.
Sure, every content business has to make a "headline" to draw your attention. But when you see a "clickbait" headline in something like The New York Times you know you're being drawn into something that can be potentially rich in effort, and therefore the term "clickbait" doesn't really apply. At least there's an article behind the hook. "Clickbait" more specifically means you're being tricked into visiting something that everyone knows definitely sucks, including its creator.
Netflix knows their content sucks, and I'm not sure they care or can think of a viable business model to improve it.
Here are the issues:
First: it's basically the most expensive streaming service, topping out at $18/month.
Hulu's most expensive plan is $12. Discovery+ is $7. Disney+ is $8. HBO Max is $15. Paramount+ is $10. (All prices ad-free plans)
I think an argument could be made that all or nearly all of those services are offering a better content library at a lower price when compared to Netflix.
Discovery+ especially...holy hell if you are into reality shows it's endless. And it's $7. I would pay $7/month just for access to every House Hunters episode imaginable without ads, lo and behold my dream came true.
Netflix is doing this clickbait stuff because their content sucks. Clickbait is what you do when your content doesn't speak for itself.
Sure, every content business has to make a "headline" to draw your attention. But when you see a "clickbait" headline in something like The New York Times you know you're being drawn into something that can be potentially rich in effort, and therefore the term "clickbait" doesn't really apply. At least there's an article behind the hook. "Clickbait" more specifically means you're being tricked into visiting something that everyone knows definitely sucks, including its creator.
Netflix knows their content sucks, and I'm not sure they care or can think of a viable business model to improve it.
Here’s what I don’t understand (either about the premise of the article if incorrect or Netflix as a business if correct): why does Netflix need to drive proactive short-term engagement? They don’t make money from ads. If I’m subscribed (I’m not anymore) then their business is accounted for. I’m subscribed because they’re a better platform than TV and when I want to watch a show they have, I will. They’re getting my money regardless and they aren’t getting more if it the more I watch. Maybe they really feel pressure from other streaming platforms?
If I search for "streetcar named desire" I want a finder which says "nope, but here's the other work by {Elia Kazan, Tenesee Williams, Marlon Brando, Carl Malden, Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter}
Oddly, I don't want "here's the abortive experimental 1970s film shot in Russia by a drug crazed student also called "streetcar"
But.. from Netflix's PoV, its equally likely I did want that because they know I watch e.g. Luis Bunel films
So.. how can they know? Answer: they can't. They simply can't get my mood right, all the time. Sometimes, they will do well and guess. Sometimes, they do really badly.
Another take: How many fans of the british "Office" wanted to be told to watch the American "Office" ?
Oddly, I don't want "here's the abortive experimental 1970s film shot in Russia by a drug crazed student also called "streetcar"
But.. from Netflix's PoV, its equally likely I did want that because they know I watch e.g. Luis Bunel films
So.. how can they know? Answer: they can't. They simply can't get my mood right, all the time. Sometimes, they will do well and guess. Sometimes, they do really badly.
Another take: How many fans of the british "Office" wanted to be told to watch the American "Office" ?
Anyone have a good website that lets you find netflix shows? I like a wide variety of stuff and I think Spotify/Netflix/Youtube always gets too confused to be useful.
Netflix has also become unbearably "woke". I've simply given up on Netflix for that reason but also due to many other reasons like the what is described here.
After reading the article on my phone and hitting the back button to get back here, I'm instead presented with a screen showing more content and pleading me to stay on the site (Keep on reading!). Talk about the kettle calling the pot black.
It's interesting, because one of the earliest lessons I was taught in college was that greedy algorithms tend to lead to sub-optimal results.
Is the problem that they're not teaching that in college anymore, or is it that the people in charge of these things are non-engineers who don't necessarily even know what a greedy algorithm is, let alone that the principle might apply to business practices and not just software implementations.
Is the problem that they're not teaching that in college anymore, or is it that the people in charge of these things are non-engineers who don't necessarily even know what a greedy algorithm is, let alone that the principle might apply to business practices and not just software implementations.
> The network’s own research shows that users consider each title for a whopping 1.8 seconds
Funny, that's almost exactly how long it takes for the promo video to start auto-playing.
I know for myself I try to skip past titles before getting barraged with the promo.
Funny, that's almost exactly how long it takes for the promo video to start auto-playing.
I know for myself I try to skip past titles before getting barraged with the promo.
>The Clickbaitification of Netflix
>The same tricks that nearly destroyed online journalism now threaten to take over the streaming service.
One of the current front page headlines on slate.com:
>I’ve Been Telling a Lie to Trick Men Into Sex With Me. Is This Really So Bad?
>The same tricks that nearly destroyed online journalism now threaten to take over the streaming service.
One of the current front page headlines on slate.com:
>I’ve Been Telling a Lie to Trick Men Into Sex With Me. Is This Really So Bad?
I never use Netflix for discovery because the median quality is so low.
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> "The network’s own research shows that users consider each title for a whopping 1.8 seconds, and that if users don’t find anything in a minute and a half, they’re gone."
It's Netflix's fault this is true!
There's no way to review the content that is actually on the service. I look at an item for 1.8 seconds because I keep being shown the same five promoted shows and I've already decided about them two weeks ago, or already seen them, or whatever. I click off after a minute and half because I'm seeing the same shows and there's no way to find different ones or scroll through all the content.
What these streaming services actually need is a thorough catalog listing with a text description of each show. People will occasionally spend 20 minutes scrolling through that, tagging what they want to see (like the old TV guide). And then on a day to day basis, they'll spend 20 seconds deciding which of the already-tagged-by-yourself content they want to watch today.
All the streaming services are way over-optimized and it hurts them badly. One complete scrolling catalog with lots of ways to search it, lots of ways to page through it, and easy "I want to watch it" tagging.
It's Netflix's fault this is true!
There's no way to review the content that is actually on the service. I look at an item for 1.8 seconds because I keep being shown the same five promoted shows and I've already decided about them two weeks ago, or already seen them, or whatever. I click off after a minute and half because I'm seeing the same shows and there's no way to find different ones or scroll through all the content.
What these streaming services actually need is a thorough catalog listing with a text description of each show. People will occasionally spend 20 minutes scrolling through that, tagging what they want to see (like the old TV guide). And then on a day to day basis, they'll spend 20 seconds deciding which of the already-tagged-by-yourself content they want to watch today.
All the streaming services are way over-optimized and it hurts them badly. One complete scrolling catalog with lots of ways to search it, lots of ways to page through it, and easy "I want to watch it" tagging.
Netflix has become nearly unbearable. Just... give.... me... basic... filtering... and... sorting. Please. Simple stuff, solved problems.
Maybe a bit off topic but wanted to share: For anyone who wants to watch classic and top films from across the world, please check out The Criterion Channel[1]. Their collection has movies such as Solaris and other films from Andrei Tarkovsky etc.
[1] https://www.criterionchannel.com
[1] https://www.criterionchannel.com
I dumped Netflix the second it became clear that they were pulling a bait-and-switch, replacing AAA content from major networks with their own material.
Algorithm-driven content feeds simply do not work for me. I don't want to watch TV all day, nor do I have a genre that I watch to the exclusion of all others.
Algorithm-driven content feeds simply do not work for me. I don't want to watch TV all day, nor do I have a genre that I watch to the exclusion of all others.
It kind of works for me when I'm tired at the end of the day and I don't want to make choices. So yeah, I'll watch that Caitlyn Jenner documentary or whatever, fine.
It feels harder to find stuff on Netflix when I'm actively looking for something decent, though.
It feels harder to find stuff on Netflix when I'm actively looking for something decent, though.
One day I realized that getting dragged into the bingebait series constantly thrown at me just made me depressed. After canceling the streaming services I feel I'm not missing any of it. Also I read more books now. Whatever makes you happy I guess..
[REQUEST] a userscript that replaces the thumbnails with the description of the video/film/TVShow for YouTube and other streaming services.
I feel like replacing all thumbnails with useful text that describes what the video's going to be about would help reduce analysis paralysis for at least some people.
I still use my RSS Reader(QuiteRSS) to "subscribe" to YouTube channels, and I'm never unsure about which video to watch. I think that's due to the fact that RSS is mostly text, and I'm not overwhelmed with images from everywhere all at once.
A good description sells me on a video more than thumbnails ever could.
So my Solution: Replace images with descriptive text on every video streaming platform.
I feel like replacing all thumbnails with useful text that describes what the video's going to be about would help reduce analysis paralysis for at least some people.
I still use my RSS Reader(QuiteRSS) to "subscribe" to YouTube channels, and I'm never unsure about which video to watch. I think that's due to the fact that RSS is mostly text, and I'm not overwhelmed with images from everywhere all at once.
A good description sells me on a video more than thumbnails ever could.
So my Solution: Replace images with descriptive text on every video streaming platform.
FWIW, this isn't new. Netflix has been showing custom thumbnails for almost a decade now. If the author is getting nothing but scantily clad people, it's because they mostly click on thumbnails with scantily clad people.
I found this article to be so spot on. There’s a mindset often found in tech companies that essentially comes down to “in every decision the data must win.” I see this in my day to day working at a large saas company all the time, and pushing back against this mindset is akin to heresy on some teams.
What the author points out is happening to Netflix is the inevitable late stage of this mindset. To me it looks like the home screen in Netflix is optimized for superficial engagement, at the expense of the actual value and joy customers get from the service.
What the author points out is happening to Netflix is the inevitable late stage of this mindset. To me it looks like the home screen in Netflix is optimized for superficial engagement, at the expense of the actual value and joy customers get from the service.
This sounds great at first, and certainly is straightforward if you want a promotion. But behind the scenes some of us had this thought that our observations only amounted to short-term gains. Although we had small long-term experiment holdout groups, the truth is they were rarely reviewed because it was unsexy.
My current thinking is that features like the echo chamber effects from Facebook's algorithms, Snapchat's snap streaks, and clickbait like this, all serve to optimize short-term engagement. Yeah, I want to watch that sexy new show or keep my streak going or have my opinions validated. But there's a diminishing return on clickbait, hollow articles isn't there? I can only fill up so much time with garbage like that before I'm bored. I can only like so many posts before I feel like they're all the same. And once my snap streak is broken I hate snapping.
The data/engineering/product loops at tech companies favor boosting short-term metrics; The employees are incentivized to do so and this is what they measure, so this is what they build. That's why we end up with features like this. That's why Snapchat fell off. That's why Facebook fell off. And that's why Netflix feels increasingly stale (despite there being a lot of quality content if you dig).