Proof is in the Plot
Screenwriters are being instructed by executives at Netflix to dumb down their work in order to suit fluctuating interests. According to Will Tavlin, a journalist with N+1 Magazine who has investigated Netflix’s latest content, claims “Several screenwriters who’ve worked for [Netflix] told me a common note from executives is ‘have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.’” Netflix must be aware that their audiences are only half-watching their programs, so they’ve adjusted their content accordingly, trivializing the dialogue, simplifying the plot, and essentially kneecapping the entire storytelling process. Tavlin goes on, “Usually reserved for breezy network sitcoms, reality television, and nature documentaries, [Netflix’s “casual viewing” microgenre] describes much of Netflix’s film catalog — movies that go down best when you’re not paying attention.”
Alas, in an era of fleeting attention spans, a two-hour art film with complex narratives, engaging cinematography, and a heavy-duty ethical message just isn’t at the top of anyone’s watchlist anymore. We’ve now entered an era of casual, backseat viewership.
TikTok Brain
Five minutes into a new TV show and most of us already have our phones out for one reason or another. Gemma Bath, a news editor with Mamamia, says, “The fact I'm going to actively try to stick to one screen while watching TV is a truly laughable first-world problem to have in our modern times, but here we are.” Enslaved by buzzing notifications, incoming work emails, and the nagging urge to keep tabs on our nemeses on social media, phones have become a strange extension of the compulsory part of our brain. Bath continues, “My attention span is officially broken, and turns out, I am not alone.”
The University of Waterloo published a research paper that clarifies society’s growing relationship with their phones, claiming, “[People] may look up information that they actually know or could easily learn, but are unwilling to make the effort to actually think about it… This convenience at our fingertips is making it easy for us to avoid thinking for ourselves.” Because of this reliance, Gordon Pennycook, the co-lead researcher on the project, believes that smart phones have enabled people to become intellectually lazy. Ironically, having the world at our fingertips has dumbed down our cognitive function to the point of basal instinct and instant gratification, making most of us seek the constant stimulation needed to satisfy our 90-second attention spans. That being said, there’s always something glittering on our phones that captures our interest, which is why the entertainment industry has taken a back seat to the cellular chaos that always takes precedence.
Tavlin comments on how second screens have changed the way we consume media, “it has brought Hollywood to the brink of irrelevance. Because Netflix doesn’t just survive when no one is watching — it thrives.” Netflix has always pivoted their business model to suit their customers, like when they switched from at-home movie rental deliveries to Internet-based streaming services. They are always staying on the cutting edge of audience needs and pioneering new ways to keep people on their streaming platforms. Ralph Jones, the television expert at the Guardian, points out the ingenuity of some of Netflix’s audience assessments, “if a viewer’s primary screen is their phone, they shouldn’t be so challenged by the Netflix show on their secondary screen that they switch the show off.” Besides, Netflix would never dare to waste their time on a show nobody is watching anyways.
When a dueling screen is constantly blinking in the corner of our eye, it’s hard to stay focused on the TV show playing in the background. Thus, as our attention spans dwindle and the distractions prevail, one way that the streaming industry has continually fulfilled their audience is by shifting their approach, creating shows and films so simple that even half a brain can follow along. “We’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t admit that most of us find it hard to put our phones down when the TV is on,” James Hamilton, the head writer on several popular animated Netflix shows, says. “We all get distracted very easily.” Show writers and screenplay teams have changed their creative process as a result, adjusting show structure to better accommodate absentee viewership and divided attention. Leslie Goldburg, from the Hollywood Reporter, says “The viewer’s primary screen is their phone and the laptop and they don’t want anything on your show to distract them from their primary screen because if they get distracted, they might look up, be confused, and go turn it off.”
Via u/Elnur
More is Less
Back in the day, movies used to have to be captivating for audiences to seek them out, but nowadays, it’s quite the opposite. Tavlin also explains, “Netflix’s movies don’t have to abide by any of the norms established over the history of cinema: They don’t have to be profitable, pretty, intelligent, funny, well-made, or anything else that pulls audiences into theater seats. Netflix’s audiences watch from their homes, on couches, in beds, on public transportation, and on toilets. Often, they aren’t even watching.” This disengagement has diminished the overall quality of new shows and films being released as studios began to recognize that the mentally challenging entertainment works were left unclicked. “A certain style soon began to take shape,” Tavlin continues, “a mind-numbing anticinema that anyone who has subscribed to Netflix in recent years knows by sight.”
With writers actively dumbing down the language in their screenplays and producers begging for oversimplification, Netflix has been able to churn out a high volume of background-noise-worthy content. Emily Forlini, a writer for PC Mag, says, “Dumbed-down scripts that lack nuance and visual cues can help viewers with divided attention follow along, making them less likely to turn the program off.” Since leaving your TV on for background noise, also known as ‘absentee streaming,’ is what most audiences are using Netflix for, it was the logical next step for the business to dial down the complexity. But for those of us who still want to watch good TV and movies, it’s a crying shame.
However, with the pivoting societal preferences, who am I to argue with the numbers? Forlini reports that 94% of viewers are on their phones while watching TV anyways, proving that a distracted audience is a new and powerful reality—powerful enough to change the landscape of the entertainment industry.
Distractification
As Netflix creates more shows that we can watch while simultaneously doing laundry, texting our friends, or doing our taxes, Hollywood has struggled to keep up. Although the Oscar’s boast of filmmaking prowess and congratulate the industry’s hard work, the movies that actually have the highest viewership are low-budget, half-baked films on Netflix like Lindsay Lohan’s latest 94-minute starring role in Irish Wish. However, Jones argues, “Is it inherently bad to cater to people who may prefer their viewing on the more casual side? Is it snobbery to believe that TV must demand all of our attention all of the time?” Netflix is only creating content that their viewers are proving they’re interested in, and although there are those of us who appreciate high-quality cinema, we’re apparently a minority. Then again, if this is the way that the entertainment industry is going, wouldn’t it be nice if distractable movies were at least a tad bit interesting? Jones continues, “Netflix might need to think carefully about how to make casual viewing that’s also good viewing. The two needn’t be mutually exclusive.
While it seems unlikely that background noise streaming will ever fully go away, this fracture in audiences might inspire future streaming services to focus exclusively on TV dramas or indie films—cinema with a little more meat on its bones. Netflix isn’t the only entertainment provider out there and in an era of infinite choice, they’re making their intentions clear to movie buffs and binge-watchers that they’ve become the primary platform for mindless entertainment, not cutthroat cinema. Put simply—don’t go scrolling on Netflix when you’re looking for a show that will titillate the senses.
Via u/ProximaStudios