The Remediation of Flow on Netflix and Youtube
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The remediation of flow on Netflix and YouTube Changing consumption practices of television Roisin Moloney MA Thesis Media Studies: New Media and Digital Culture Words: 20, 865 Supervisor: Michael Stevenson Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter 1 – Theoretical Framework 5 1.1.1 TV then vs now 5 1.1.2 Remediation 6 1.1.3 Business models 7 1.1.4 Social vs Technological determinism 9 1.1.5 Mobile Privatization 10 1.6 Domesticity 11 1.7 Flow 13 1.7.1 Flow 2.0: Updates 16 1.8 Broader Tendencies 18 1.8.1 Personalization 18 1.8.2 Algorithmic Recommendation 19 1.9 Affordances 21 1.10 Interface design 21 Chapter 2 – Methodology 23 2.1 Case Studies 24 2.2 Visual Cross-Platform Analysis (VCPA) 24 2.2.1 VCPA Benefits 25 2.2.2 VCPA Limitations 25 2.3 Trade Press 26 Chapter 3 – Analysis 27 3.1 Political economy of Netflix and YouTube 27 3.2 Netflix and YouTube cost 29 3.3 Netflix and YouTube Advertising 29 3.4 Platform Analysis 30 Chapter 4 – Discussion 45 4.1 Flow vs Binge-watching 46 Chapter 5 – Conclusion 48 Bibliography 51 Abstract: This thesis aims to investigate how streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube remediate flow. It will also address how domesticity is dealt with as the consumption of television has changed significantly over the years. It will add to the plentiful discipline of television studies but outline how flow has been remediated in the new media landscape of streaming platforms. The methodology used was a combination of a trade press analysis and a visual-cross-platform analysis (VCPA). The trade press analysis was conducted in order to situate the platforms and their business models in a wider societal context. And the VCPA was useful in comparing the chosen two platforms. The analysis conducted showed that both platforms have altered how we think of these concepts. YouTube illustrated a closer approximation to Williams’ conception of flow. Netflix provides the experience of flow in a new way. Domesticity has also changed due to the increasing prevalence of portable devices with which to consume content which has led to the disaggregation of the family within the home. In conclusion, streaming platforms have certainly changed these two concepts. Key words: Netflix, YouTube, Flow, Remediation, Domesticity, Television Introduction “Obviously the way people watch TV has changed so much, too, that it's not necessarily about the ratings anymore. There's a different kind of time lapse; you put it out there and people absorb it at their speed, not just on Monday night at eight.” - Alia Shawkat Streaming platforms have irrevocably changed the way we consume content. Content can now be consumed whenever, and wherever we wish. We no longer sit in front of the television set at 8pm every night, with meticulously curated programming ahead of us, all decided by the broadcasters. As actress Alia Shawkat mentions, the viewing practices for television have changed immeasurably, let alone the devices people now consume television on, due to the advent of new media technologies. In a world surrounded by technology, whether that be televisions, smart phones, or laptops that ingratiate the viewing public with constant audio-visual content, how we watch television has never been more up to us. You can either choose to sit down and get sucked into Netflix or turn on YouTube on your television- sized screen. But you look at your phone, and both the applications are there too. So, it is up to you. You can either sit down in front of your television set, by yourself, decidedly different from the family- oriented television of previous times or move about watching content on your phone. You get the same audio-visual experience, only miniature, and much more individualized in comparison to the television. But the premise remains the same, no matter what device you watch content on, it will always try to lure you in. The platforms that will be discussed within this thesis are the streaming platform heavyweight; Netflix, which has become a disruptor and dominant force within the streaming platform industry, and YouTube. Netflix is the twentieth Top Site worldwide (Alexa) and retains leadership within the streaming platform industry despite fierce competition from others (Lee, The New York Times, n.p.; Hazelton, 2019). The platform has several advantages against competitors in subscriber numbers, time spent on the platform and the extent of the content they provide (Lee). So, it was chosen as an appropriate case study for this thesis. The other platform of interest here, is the popular streaming platform, YouTube. With nearly one billion hours of content seen on YouTube every single day (Iqbal, businessofapps) and being the second Top Site worldwide (Alexa), it presents a significant challenge to the media landscape. What we know currently is, the way we consume television has changed considerably over the years. It has been guided by the remediation of classic notions such as flow and has also altered how television is consumed within the home. The considerable proliferation of streaming platforms, even in the last five years, have seen the individual become increasingly more cocooned in creating their own televisual schedule. The way we watch television has become significantly different. The viewer can consume content from any number of devices, at any time they wish to. Most nowadays, are using technology such as TiVo, DVD’s and streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix, to create their own 1 televisual schedule. This calls the medium of television into question. If viewers are in control of their consumption of the medium, is it still considered television (Urrichio in The YouTube Reader, 2009)? Television was inherently controlled by the broadcasters and television networks and transmitted to the audience. But this has changed due to increasing viewer autonomy and new media technologies, giving increased agency to the viewer. For instance, Netflix’s complicated status as internet television and whether it deserves to be treated the same as conventional television has repeatedly been called into question since it began streaming (McFarland, Wired). There has been a substantial amount of academic debate concerning the concepts of domesticity and flow. What remains under-researched, however, and what this thesis examines, is how flow remains relevant even in the new media landscape in which we now live. And how these streaming platforms deal with the concept of domesticity. This thesis will aim to demonstrate whether and how it can be applied to popular streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube. Is the notion too outdated since its inception in the 1970s or can we still find a place for it today? Numerous scholars over the years have attempted to update and rework flow, and I will investigate these during the theoretical framework, as well as the concept of flow in more depth. This creation of the viewer’s own consumption schedule brings about Williams’ concept of flow. Flow, a term conceived by Raymond Williams in the 1970s, concerns itself with how television began to become more organized in terms of broadcasters assembling discrete units of media into programmes. This created a sequence which later commercial breaks were added into, along with trailers for films. This sequence Williams noticed, differed widely in American and Britain. This created an atmosphere in which the broadcasters wanted the television viewers to keep watching - one programme after another. But that is not all flow is concerned with. Flow is impacted by much broader tendencies such as personalization and algorithmic recommendation, which I will investigate further in the theoretical framework. These tendencies directly impact flow and are used as strategic business decisions by each platform to keep the user watching. Flow, however, is much more than keeping viewer’s in front of the television screen. It is an experience, a mode of consumption that replaces discrete media units and is instead a more generalized practice. Williams adds more depth to this concept than I will do here. Domesticity has also been in fierce debate since the television's widespread use in the 1950s. It was increasingly thought of as a family-oriented (and housewife-oriented) medium. During this time, it was a medium with which to bring the family together during the aftermath of the second World War. But over the years, we have seen families become more segmented and individualized within the home due to new media technologies. Nowadays, people might choose to consume content on their mobile phones, laptops or tablets instead of the television set. This may be due to the accessibility and convenience of streaming platforms being able to provide content to customers. And due to these accessible technologies, everyone can choose what they want to watch. The television is no longer 2 addressing the family as a whole, but each individual person within that family. But domesticity will be elaborated upon in greater detail during the theoretical framework chapter. This thesis is attempting to answer the following main research question in order to add to the plentiful research on television studies and new media platforms. But, as flow was a concept developed in the 1970s, I will attempt to add to the many updating/reworkings of the concept, but in the context of streaming platforms. It will also address (as a smaller research question) how streaming platforms are dealing with the concept of domesticity. How are streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube remediating flow? How are streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube addressing domesticity? Thesis structure Chapter 1: Chapter One of this thesis encompasses the literature review and theoretical framework that informs the cultural context and necessary background information.