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Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

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Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#51

Post by nostrademons »

neals wrote: post #5

I accidentally watched some TV the other day. Having not seen any regular programming for at least a year, I was amazed at how much ... dumber it has become. Also, why did we sit through so many commercials for so long? It feel a little like a twilight zone episode, where we sit there watching a box telling us what to buy.

I suspect regular programming isn't getting dumber, the alternatives are just getting smarter.

When I look at the crap I watched as a kid in the 80s (which included a good amount of 70s reruns), basically all broadcast TV today is far superior. But the competition for broadcast TV isn't "no competition" now, it's the Internet, and computer games, and Netflix. The entertainment industry has been blown wide open by the Internet and computers, and so now they have to compete with thousands of alternatives instead of just having 3 channels to choose from. Naturally, quality goes up.

When I was a kid, the "rots your brain" videogame that my parents would only let me play at friends' houses was Super Mario Brothers. Now, my "rots your brain" pastime is Factorio, which is a game where people are literally designing chips in:

https://www.reddit.com/r/factorio/comments/2vqzlx/8_bit_alu_...

https://www.reddit.com/r/factorio/comments/4aijlw/here_is_my...

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#52

Post by baq »

feverishaaron wrote: post #22

Naw, kids from Netflix homes are just watching long-form commercials. Dino Trucks, Nexo Knights and Ninjago all dominate my boys' Christmas wish lists this year.

real money is in merchandising. george lucas understood that. even elon musk understood that recently ;)

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#53

Post by chris_wot »

kleiba wrote: post #35

I live in a 'Netflix free' home -- I watch as many commercials a year as a any kid in a 'Netflix only' home. It's not clear to me why the article assumes that not having Netflix means you're consuming commercials.

That makes no sense. Kids who watch Netflix get zero ads. Kids who watch commercial television are bombarded with ads.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#54

Post by QAPereo »

draugadrotten wrote: post #37
QAPereo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, but you never have to watch what you don’t want, including ads.

If you believe you are not watching ads when you watch Netflix, you need to look into the product placement in their shows. Drinks, watches, cars, clothes, all brands and even quite a few locations... it is all paid for, to entice you to buy.

Sure, and it makes me squirm a bit, but I can’t stop PP. even better reduces how much time I spend thinking critically about how I’m being manipulated, which is just a relief.

Except for product placement, and I suppose billboards, I just don’t see ads anymore. I don’t hear them in my music, they only exist as product placement in my television and movies, I don’t see them online. I’ll take that reduction any day, and just accept the total elimination is unlikely.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#55

Post by draw_down »

After spending a little time hardly ever watching or hearing ads, they seem insane. The way they are acted and written, the subject matter, all of it is just so crazy. It seems impossible to understand how they encourage people to buy whatever product is being advertised.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#56

Post by redial »

emodendroket wrote: post #40
neals wrote: post #5

I accidentally watched some TV the other day. Having not seen any regular programming for at least a year, I was amazed at how much ... dumber it has become. Also, why did we sit through so many commercials for so long? It feel a little like a twilight zone episode, where we sit there watching a box telling us what to buy.

I don't think TV was actually less stupid in the past, but boy do I get sick of watching the same commercials fifty times watching a football game.

It might not have been, but the comparison makes it more evident.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#57

Post by emodendroket »

gman83 wrote: post #23

I was thinking about this the other day, and I was wondering whether the fact that my kids are not exposed at all to commercials might make them more susceptible to advertising when they grow up.

Probably not. Children are constitutionally defenseless against advertising so it's doubtful that childhood exposure to advertising is helpful.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#58

Post by viraptor »

Spooky23 wrote: post #13
neals wrote: post #5

I accidentally watched some TV the other day. Having not seen any regular programming for at least a year, I was amazed at how much ... dumber it has become. Also, why did we sit through so many commercials for so long? It feel a little like a twilight zone episode, where we sit there watching a box telling us what to buy.

I think the “Frosty the Snowman” special on live TV ran almost 90 minutes... the commercials were agonizing. Also, kids are consuming a lot of highly effective YouTube ads.

Getting rid of adverts on yt for all family is $10/mo, which I'm thinking is not that crazy. It's also a part of Google music family subscription for $15/mo - you get YouTube Red included.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#59

Post by otakucode »

ashark wrote: post #32
dragonshed wrote: post #10

My family and I 'cut the cord' in 2005, back when Netflix meant DVDs, and other than access to sports, we haven't missed TV at all. These days we use an Apple TV 4th Gen, with only Netflix, Plex and KPBS apps, and I believe my kids are better off for it. They still have access to way too much TV, but at least we know what they're seeing.

Unlimited streaming has its own problems, because your kids know it's never impossible for them to watch their favorite show, unlike with the bad old days of Saturday morning cartoons and just a handful of OTA TV stations. You can just say no, of course, but it's easier when you don't have to. Actually, the entire Internet kinda presents the same problem for adults and personal willpower.

The 'problem' with willpower is not temptation. Temptation is only a problem for those with no willpower who paradoxically want to believe that they do. There are two solutions. Either study philosophy and come to understand why you act the way you do and seek to modify that if desired... or actually evaluate the real consequences of your actions and decide if whatever their label might end up being whether the consequences are actually worth being worried or ashamed about. Most often, people are worried about things that harm no one, making their worry absolutely meaningless.

Re: Kids in ‘Netflix Only’ Homes Saved from 230 Hours of Commercials a Year

#60

Post by auxym »

hristov wrote: post #4

Sounds great but the sad reality is that Netflix shows have commercials inside of them. I was really excited about this netflix show "love" until the macdonalds product placement inside of it just made me sick and i stopped watching it. I haven't been watching much original netflix shows since then, but whenever i feel like peeking into a new show i notice product placements pretty soon.

I actually didn't notice the McD placement, but I swear every episode namedropped Uber very, very obviously.
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