Netflix’s (seemingly too?) Perfect Recommendation System.

7

September

2024

5/5 (1)

Netflix is widely seen as one of the world’s most successful streaming platforms to date. Many might accredit this success to its broad library of fantastic titles and simple, yet effective, UI. However, behind the scenes a lot more is going on, which keeps users on the platform longer, and most importantly, reduces subscriber churn.

While Netflix has 277 million paid subscribers across 190 countries, no user experience is the same for any of these users. Over time, Netflix has developed its incredibly intelligent Netflix Recommendation Algorithm (NRE) to leverage data science, and create the ultimate personalized experience for every user. I think most of us are aware of some personalization algorithms, but not the extent to which they go!

The NRE is composed of multiple algorithms that filter Netflix’s content based on a user’s profile. These algorithms filter through more than 5000 different titles, divided in clusters, all based on an individual subscriber’s preferences. The NRE works by analyzing a wealth of data, including a user’s viewing history, how long they watch specific titles, and even how often they pause or fast-forward. This, in turn, results in videos with the highest likelihood of being watched by the user, being pushed to the front. Which is, according to Netflix, essential, since the company estimates that they only have around 90 seconds to grab a consumer’s attention. I think, as consumer attention drops even further (with apps like TikTok destroying our attention span), this might become even more of a problem in the future. I mean, who has the time to sit down and watch a whole movie these days??

This also ties into the concept of the Long Tail which we discussed, which refers to offering a wide variety of niche products that can appeal to smaller audience segments. Netflix can now surface lesser-known titles to the right audiences using its recommendations algorithms. While these niche titles might have never been discovered by users in the past, Netflix can now monetize the Long Tail of its Library. You must have definitely noticed that your family or friends have titles on their Homepage that you would never see on your own, and this is the NRE at work.

While this model is largely successful, it might raise concerns around content bias. For example, Netflix’s use of different promotional images for the same content based on a user’s perceived race or preferences has sparked debate. Although the intent is to tailor recommendations more effectively, it risks reinforcing stereotypes and narrowing the scope of content that users are exposed to.

Ultimately, user data is exchanged for a super personalized experience, though this experience can sometimes be flawed. What do you think about Netflix’s NRE and its effects on users? Do you think this data exchange is fine, or would you rather just see the same Homepage as everyone else?

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The power of Big Tech companies

9

October

2021

No ratings yet.

How does social media impact our world? The use of social media has highly increased over the years, and you would almost forget how it was without it. But on the 4th of October 2021 people around the world had a glimpse of how a world without social media would look like. A global outage took place and Facebook and its family of apps, including Instagram and Whatsapp were down for more than six hours. More than 3.5 billion people around the world rely on these platforms for communication with friends and families or for running their businesses.

Additionally, Frances Haugen, a former employee of Facebook, revealed that same week how the company is causing harm by providing evidence to lawmakers, regulators and the news media.

The abovementioned outage and the revelations brought to light from whistleblower Frances Huagen not only showed how dependent the world has become on social media but also added fuel to the fire; the ever-growing power of big tech companies and the way those companies deal with harm caused by their platforms.

Companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple all provide digital services and those have ingrained in our lives that it is almost impossible to avoid them. Some argue that this succes comes with responsibility and increasingly people are questioning if those companies are living up to this responsibility. Two critical points are: How do Big Tech companies protect the privacy of their users? and to what extent can they be held liable for what is happening on their platform?

According to Haugen companies like Facebook and Instagram use amplification algorithms and engagement-based raking that is leading children and teenagers to harmful online content without trying to solve this issue because of the profit it’s earning. Haugen recommends reforming Section 230 that protects companies from liability for third-party content on their platform. She argues that the government has to step in and companies should be held responsible for the consequences of their algorithms. Even though something has to change, one my ask oneself if government oversight is the right solution. The government regulating algorithms of tech companies could influence journalism and free speech and what consequences would that have?

References

Alter, C. (2021, October 6). How Fixing Facebook’s Algorithm Could Help Teens—and Democracy. Time. https://time.com/6104157/facebook-testimony-teens-algorithm/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20210929

Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). (2021). Why Big Tech is under fire around the world | DW | 16.04.2021. DW.COM. https://www.dw.com/en/why-big-tech-is-under-fire-around-the-world/av-57230952

Isaac, M., & Frenkel, S. (2021, October 8). Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Were Down: Here’s What to Know. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/technology/facebook-down.html

Mac, R., & Kang, C. (2021, October 6). Whistle-Blower Says Facebook ‘Chooses Profits Over Safety.’ The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/03/technology/whistle-blower-facebook-frances-haugen.html#:%7E:text=Frances%20Haugen%2C%20a%20Facebook%20product,documents%20to%20journalists%20and%20others.&text=%5BWatch%20the%20Facebook%20hearing%20live.%5D

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