Netflix ruins entertainment experience


On Oct. 22, CNBC reported Netflix’s stock growth. Netflix, an on-demand Internet streaming service, grew from $7.7 million in net income to an empire of $31.8 million or 52 cents a share. The company’s monetary value more than quadrupled — an effort that look place within the span of 2013. Netflix’s increasing influence, however, degrades the traditional and celebrated entertainment experience.

Mollie Berg | Daily Trojan

Mollie Berg | Daily Trojan

Netflix’s growth can be attributed to the array of television and film networking it provides. Popular movies, including top-grossing ones, pop up in the suggestions. Television shows, some with the largest, most fanatic followings, decorate Netflix’s programming vault. This spring, Netflix introduced original television shows, such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, both of which were lauded by critics. These features, according to CNBC, lead to an ever-growing subscriber base. According to The New York Times, in September, Netflix had 40.4 million subscribers, domestically and overseas. This is another statistic that has more than quadrupled — Netflix users only numbered 10 million in 2009.

Before the beginning of this Netflix craze, movie magic was still intact. Popcorn scents danced in the air as theatergoers expected trailers and the lights to dim as the curtains drew back to reveal a big screen. Throughout the film, the audience is bonded by an array of emotions the movie inspires. Viewers hold their breath at the most climatic portion, rooting for the main character to demolish the antagonist. This same feeling of anticipation is experienced by fans of a specific television show, waiting week after week for a new episode. It doesn’t matter if the show is complete with a laugh track or suspenseful music- what is the most uneasy yet integral feeling is tuning in next week to be met with another cliffhanger.

Netflix  eliminates this element of entertainment in society by having its products readily available. Part of why seeing a movie in theaters, as opposed to on a small  laptop screen, is such a treasured experience is due to a feeling of total immersion. A horror movie shown on a laptop, where one is afforded the opportunities to press pause and play, cannot compare to a horror movie bolstered by amplified sounds and sights at the movie theater. Similarly, waiting for a specific show to come on after a cliffhanger the previous week surpasses Netflix’s ability to skip to the “good parts.” Movies and television cannot be seen as their respective bodies of work; they come packaged by their experiences.

True fans line up for hours to catch the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter. Trekkies are more of a community than individuals of extreme fandom, going to conventions and purchasing merchandise. People are bonded by their affinity for their favorite movie or television show. They return what these films or shows give them—a feeling of warmth or belonging-—by paying for a movie ticket or joining a group. Netflix tarnishes this system of appreciation; individuals who would traditionally head to the theaters for a film now wait until the movie hits Netflix.

Furthermore, Netflix bombards its users with its endless amounts of entertainment. With so much to watch, more than 100,000 titles according to The New York Times, people binge and watch them all. This, in effect, negatively affects the television and film industry by blocking people from watching on the original platform. According to Peter Kafka of All Things Digital, without cable television, beloved shows will be pulled from lineups. According to USA Today, the next move for Netflix is to produce original movies, further obstructing the entertainment industry.

Netflix is undoubtedly a revolutionary agent in the entertainment industry, changing the way movies and television shows are processed. It has removed the need for Blockbuster and other video rental stores because of its convenience to a technologically-advanced public. But individuals must recognize that Netflix actually hampers the film community, which has traditionally been a group of artistic individuals. One solution to this problem is for Netflix to host a forum where users can interact and contribute their thoughts on films after viewing them.

It’s important not to obstruct the overall experience or stunt thought. Entertainment is not made for entertainment’s sake. Even though Netflix says, “You get more for your money,” people are missing out on the experiences crucial to regular programming.

 

Danni Wang is a freshman majoring in health and humanity. 

Follow us on Twitter @dailytrojan

 

1 reply
  1. John Tai
    John Tai says:

    I’d like to thank the writer for the well-written piece and insight provided by his or her opinion. Having a Netflix subscription, I see things a bit differently. I do want to mention that I was one of those that were disappointed by Netflix when they created a separate pricing plan for streaming as initially it was part of their home delivery service.

    I have no reason to defend Netflix, but I was blessed with the ability to distinguish the burden of responsibility.

    Netflix did not create the world where people could spoil a movie and reduce the excitement between episodes of a tv program. The sales of videotapes and dvds had already done that. In watching new shows created by Netflix such as House of Cards, the burden of maintaining the suspense really falls on the end user watching the program. Yes, the writer does bring up a good point about waiting out a week to create suspense, but this show was not necessarily designed with that in mind. Most writers create suspense to not lose the viewer despite the time when the last episode was seen. During the recent cable airing of Breaking Bad, the week-to-week suspense still existed yet Netflix was one of the mediums that helped make it popular. These new episodes have yet to be available on Netflix, but there is a deepening need for those wanting to see it to watch it.

    Lastly, it takes awhile before flicks are available on streaming, so I still catch new run movies in the theaters, therefore the movie magic is still there. How can one not want to see a space-related movie on a big screen?

    With the exception of their original programming, all movies and tv show content are available through mediums such as dvds by the time they are available on Netflix. Therefore, how could Netflix have ruined the entertainment experience? If it is their original content we are talking about, I am suspensefully waiting for Season 2 of House of Cards to be released. How does Netflix hamper the film community when it is merely providing a convenient access point to its content long after the movie has made its sales in the box offices and dvd sales. People still buy dvds of new movies they like despite Netflix streaming as it’d take many years before it reaches them. Depending on studio agreements, it may never reach them, such as Disney flicks.

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