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The Clickbaitification of Netflix

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Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#271

Post by xdennis »

mdoms wrote: post #133
avnigo wrote: post #60

Veritasium talks about thumbnail and title experimentation on YouTube, and argues for the need to do so on platforms that surface up and recommend content to users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2xHZPH5Sng

Christ that guy comes across as an arrogant prick. Here, "Veritasium", let me rephrase your shitty, overly long, condescending video: "I deceive my viewers because it makes me more money".

That's every uncharitable.

I'm not going to rewatch it, because, as you said, it's long, but what he's saying is that there's a difference between baiting and never delivering and bating and delivering.

Also, educating isn't just about putting forth the facts, but also persuasion and spreading. It does coincide with him making more money, but there's nothing bad about that.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#272

Post by Semaphor »

ggggtez wrote: post #247
Semaphor wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Clickbait remover chooses a random thumbnail instead. I rarely go to youtube, but when I do, this makes it more bearable. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/clickbait-rem...

Interesting, I wasn't sure at first how it was adjusting the title, but it seems like it lower cases it. Interesting demo, but I think you could do better by just aggressively not clicking on videos like that to begin with. I never see that style of click bait anymore, as long as I'm logged in.

Even high-quality, reputable channels use the weird "strong facial expression" style of thumbnail.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#273

Post by kbelder »

JohnWhigham wrote: post #183
tomnipotent wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The data/engineering/product loops at tech companies favor boosting short-term metrics I think this hits the nail on the head. Leadership is hard, and executives can be many layers removed from the frontline. It seems that A/B tests and family have proven a really effective vehicle to communicate across leadership levels what has happened, why it happened, and the impact it had on the business. I'm definitely guilt…

Early in his term, Trump flirted with the idea of changing quarterly earnings reports to be biannual. I wonder how much that would have shook up corporate culture.

Kind of a pity his term went in such... surreal directions, because I think he probably could have had some interesting ideas in areas like corporate governance. He had a mix of insider experience and a populist platform.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#274

Post by lurtbancaster »

[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.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#275

Post by Apocryphon »

brundolf wrote: post #268
ZeroGravitas wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I read that, I kind of thought "hasn't that already happened"? The most enduring symbol of American capitalism is caffeinated sugar water. Our athletics competitions are sponsored by fast food conpanies. We live in an obesogenic environment. Yeah, people with reserves of health, wealth and wisdom can buck the trends by applying time and energy to fighting against the tide but if the average person is falling for…

I feel like on the nutritional side there's been a (not total, but significant) reversal over the last decade. Some of that gets eaten up by marketing (food that isn't any healthier gets packaged in muted shades of green and brown to make it appear more grounded and wholesome), but some of it is real (I no longer know a single person who drinks soda on a regular basis). Maybe in another decade or two we'll see a simi…

That might also be a factor of where you're living at.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#276

Post by potamic »

dcow wrote: post #249

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…

They don't want you to use other platforms at the same time. Because if you spend too much time outside and start liking them, you will be at risk of unsubscribing. Heaven forbid they need to compete on content quality to retain you. This will be much easier and cheaper.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#277

Post by brundolf »

Apocryphon wrote: post #275
brundolf wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like on the nutritional side there's been a (not total, but significant) reversal over the last decade. Some of that gets eaten up by marketing (food that isn't any healthier gets packaged in muted shades of green and brown to make it appear more grounded and wholesome), but some of it is real (I no longer know a single person who drinks soda on a regular basis). Maybe in another decade or two we'll see a simi…

That might also be a factor of where you're living at.

I don't think that's the whole story. Even national brands like McDonalds have subtly changed their packaging to feel less artificial and more "earthy", for lack of a better term, even if the product itself hasn't changed. There's an awareness of a cultural shift.

I would guess that processed/high-sugar foods today are where cigarettes were in the 90s. Everybody knows and accepts how bad they are, many people have changed their habits accordingly, many people haven't.

Digital media on the other hand is more like where cigarettes were in the 70s. Most people know roughly that they're bad for you, but few do anything about it.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#278

Post by mojuba »

bjt wrote: post #257
mojuba wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very well put! I have another related theory that goes: Over time, everything converges into mediocrity . By everything I mean products sold to us, entertainment, media, the Internet itself. Look at the car designs of the 1970s and now. Look at cinematography then and now. As soon as marketing steps in and start telling otherwise innovative companies or artists how to sell, things begin slowly converging into mediocr…

I agree with the sentiment that designing a product for mainstream appeal can make it seem bland, but I don't think that goes all the way to "Over time, everything converges into mediocrity." There are so many things today that are better than in decades past. Computers are unbelievably faster. Electric guitars are much more consistently high quality. Cars don't break down as often. Maybe the problem is that the word…

Is the quality really improving though? People complain about how washing machines and other appliances last shorter these days, so that you buy/upgrade more often.

As for cars, a lot of the times they look so similar that you can't tell the brand at a distance. They were certainly more distinguishable decades ago. Today it's also the high-end mobile phones - they all look like the iPhone, which isn't bad per se, but if you can't innovate (or don't want to) that's mediocrity.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#279

Post by vdqtp3 »

alistairSH wrote: post #172
xmprt wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big issue for me is that Netflix now has so much content that everyone watching different things and there's no longer "the show" that you have to watch to talk about with your friends. Instead, there are a handful of good shows every year spread across all platforms and it's come to the point where if I'm just going to watch things on my own, I might as well just watch YouTube.

This. A few years ago, I subscribed to Netflix. That was it (no cable, no other streaming). The amount of good content was reasonable. Now, I have to cycle through Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Apple, and Amazon. I unsubscribed to most of them most of the time, and resubscribe as a show or movie comes to my attention (Dune will get me resubscribed to HBO for a month or two, etc). I still spend less on streaming than I did on c…

I continue to subscribe to Netflix not because I'm thrilled with their selection but because there are a few things I want and it's the business model I want to support. Unlimited watches, no ads, I pay for access to a library. Fuck everything like Hulu and Prime with paid subscriptions that still include ads.

Re: The Clickbaitification of Netflix

#280

Post by simplify »

missedthecue wrote: post #266
simplify wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I might argue someone is not "free to choose" if they haven't been taught how to spot dark patterns in rhetoric and advertising.

I don't think people completely lose their agency just because they saw a Coca Cola billboard.

Sure, but I didn't say they completely lose their agency.
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