Neflix looks to take the stress out of those indecisive trawls through its algorithm-based libraries, as it’s going to start picking you films and TV shows to watch.
After forever changing the way we access films, we all know that Netflix isn’t afraid to shake up the way we watch them either. From end credits that minimise, making it harder to appreciate the folks that made the film you just watched, to experimentation with speed viewing, when it comes to the movie-watching experience the company has proven over and over that it’s not averse to the odd paradigm shift here or there.
Now, it’s looking to extend that approach beyond the film itself and let its all-powerful algorithms take the stress out of choosing a film too, by choosing for you. We suppose it’s a bit like the good old days of the bricks and mortar video rental shop, where the friendly owner would recommend you titles based on their knowledge of your viewing history, rather than you having to browse his many stacked shelves.
Currently, this experimental feature has appeared on the profile page of certain TV devices such as Roku, presumably in the US, reports Deadline. Whilst some of us who find trawling through Netflix rather tedious may find this useful, there are others of us that might decry the loss of agency, allowing a computer to make choices for us. There’s also the question of how increasing use of a shuffle button would impact the overall performance of titles within Netflix’s library.
Whether or not the feature is here to stay is unsure, but it’s limited in its current scope. For how long it remains that way remains to be seen. Is this something you’d like to see? Let us know in the comments below.
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