For Netflix, user reviews are a thing of the past. The streaming service is deleting all previously written user reviews and preventing users from writing new reviews. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Netflix no longer cares what you think.
In March 2017, Netflix ditched its five-star ratings in favor of a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down system. Instead of scoring a movie or TV show out of five you have the binary choice of saying whether you like it or not. And now Netflix is ditching user reviews.
Reviewing Netflix’ Decision to Ditch Reviews
As first reported by CNET, Netflix recently emailed users to inform them user reviews are going away. Users who have contributed a review within the past year have been notified that “this feature will be retired on July 30th due to declining usage.”
User reviews will be available until July 30th, at which point they will all be scrubbed. Along with users’ ability to leave new reviews. While this won’t bother the majority of Netflix users, those who regularly wrote reviews are rather annoyed by it all.
Hey @netflix, no need to go all alternative facts on this. You eliminated bylines and star ratings, and emphasized your own recommendations. So yeah, usage declined. Own it. It's ok; there are other sources for movie reviews.
Just don't blame your users. pic.twitter.com/D0arnJ264T
— James Belcher (@Satorical) July 2, 2018
Regular reviewers have taken issue with the explanation that this was all down to “declining usage”. User reviews for content were difficult to find and limited to the desktop version of Netflix. So it’s no wonder hardly anyone bothered.
One explanation for this change is negative reviews being written about Netflix Originals. Because while shows like Stranger Things and The Crown have enjoyed critical acclaim, other Netflix Originals have garnered mixed reviews. Including Netflix’ Marvel shows.
Your Opinions No Longer Matter to Netflix
Netflix is in the fortunate position of not actually having to worry about ratings. As long as people are choosing to pay for Netflix every month the company can keep on experimenting with a range of content. And in that context, your opinions don’t matter.
Thankfully, even without the benefit of user reviews we can help you find the Netflix Originals that match your tastes. And that includes these brilliant original Netflix movies and these awesome Netflix Originals you’ve probably never heard of.
Image Credit: Jenny Cestnik/Flickr
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