Reed Hastings was very happy to talk about so many aspects of his company, especially the original content that it is producing. I am someone who has thoroughly enjoyed much of the content that Netflix has produced, and am able to appreciate what they bring to the table. Netflix produces television that doesn’t feel as much of the need to stick to the traditional style that has become expected of our entertainment, but with this comes some additional mature content that isn’t quite so widespread in the ‘mainstream media’. With out rightly violent shows like Daredevil forgoing the stylized stage combat that most broadcast television sticks with and much more sexual content becoming widespread through their programming, is it time to take a look at a new system of rating content? Netflix has complete control over what they produce, so they don’t have any sort of rating agency to report to, so should they give some sort of internalized system to tell the intensity of their shows?
Control has become more and more integrated into the media that we consume. Television, video games, and music all have some sort of warning system to advise parents in particular that content might not be suitable for children, and this is what comes to mind for the hole in Netflix’s system. There are sections that are marked specifically for children, but the age range for this is somewhere between 1-10, while the filters to disable mature content are far too generalized to be anything more than a nuisance. Not to mention that these controls are far from perfect, when you can simply switch users to watch whatever you want, it hardly seems like more than a slight hurdle to overcome. I am all for the desensitization of our youth, but I think that it should be done in some sort of outright discussion rather than giggling behind mom and dad’s back. Not a great metaphor for what I’m trying to say but, really my point is that if everything else is so clearly classified by what is in the media, why shouldn’t Netflix be subjected to the same, or some similar procedure?
Also a question is what is too much for these more mature themes. At what point do we lose plot, character, and the more artistic aspects of the show simply because ‘sex sells’? The line between smut and art is a fine one that should be explored, but not overly shoved into the faces of consumers. I, for instance, had no idea about the plentiful sex scenes that were to be had in “Orange is the New Black” when I started watching it, and some sort of warning along the way towards these would have been appreciated. This being said, it’s hard to argue with the positive response these programs have received. Shows that break these near prudish expectations wow the public and continue to bring in viewers for the programs. Why change the system when clearly it hasn’t been doing any harm?
When I go back to school I often miss a season due to the lack of availability I have with television. This past semester I found out one of my friends has a Hulu Plus account he never uses. Being the good friend I am, I offered to watch the missing seasons of my favorite show, not even needing to turn on my TV in my dorm room. I also have a friend who graciously pays for her Netflix account while letting me and a few others mooch off of her. Thanks to my great friends, I really have no need to sit and watch television, because I can watch my favorite shows on my computer screen for free. It is interesting to see the shift from television to web in my life because of its convenience and low cost.