this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2023
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The Atlantic: Nobody Knows What’s Happening Online Anymore. Why you’ve probably never heard of the most popular Netflix show in the world. (archive.ph)
submitted 2 years ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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The Atlantic: Nobody Knows What’s Happening Online Anymore. Why you’ve probably never heard of the most popular Netflix show in the world.::undefined

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[–] maegul@lemmy.ml 120 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

An insightful thought from a TV critic I read years ago just as streaming was taking off :

There’s no such thing as the best TV show anymore, because there’s so much that’s generally good enough to be a candidate that no one person has watched it all and spent the time to assess it properly.

More broadly, this had happened to western culture with the internet. Previously, with only three tv channels and two major papers, we were all literally on the same page.

I’d go further and say there’s a vertical dimension too in terms of complexity. Society and its various aspects such as technology are now complex enough in total they I don’t think anyone can ever say they understand what’s going on.

[–] _number8_@lemmy.world 40 points 2 years ago (2 children)

One of the worst catalysts of this is when channels started dropping entire seasons of shows at once online to appease le epic binge watching culture. But when everyone watches something new like that at once, there's no time to actually appreciate anything or discuss the story or build anticipation, it just gets burned through and forgotten within 2 weeks.

[–] Whelks_chance@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

It does still allow for catch-up at the end of the run though. I prefer to binge watch, but now I wait a few months for it all to be released and then watch it. Which still doesn't allow for week to week discussion, but fits my watching patterns better.

[–] maegul@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yea for sure.

I think that whole thing of dropping whole seasons and how it’s kinda faded somewhat is an interesting case study of this particular internet culture moment.

Where we think we want more and faster but have lost sight that that’s just a dumb dopamine mentality left unbalanced and unmitigated and that we actually prefer more traditional forms of various things.

[–] slumberlust@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The only reason they've gone back to slow drip releases is to milk your engagement and subscription.

[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Okay and what's wrong with seeking engagement with whatever they're making (which every person who makes anything does) and trying to ensure continued subscription, which makes sense given the business? I agree that streaming has generally become ridiculous and diluted, but there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting people to watch stuff and attempting to ensure a steady revenue stream to do it.

[–] slumberlust@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Is watching the whole series not enough? For me it's removing the option to choose my own pace. People can choose to watch slowly if they want, but you can't binge if it's not available. I dont even bother with shows until the whole season is out, so it's limiting the engagement for me, but that's my own preference.

[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 years ago

A lot of people cancel after watching the series. Releasing over several weeks allows for a continual revenue stream over those weeks. For people who like bingeing, the show is pretty much always up in full at the end of its run.

[–] Monument@lemmy.sdf.org 18 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I use the phrase “societal decoheshion” to describe that. We (whoever that may be) just aren’t all that unified enough in our culture or information sources anymore.

Even just since Reddit became dead to us, my wife (who I met through Reddit) and I went to different platforms, and find ourselves often catching each other up on what our respective corners of the internet are doing.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 years ago

I think culture just doesn't respect traditional boundaries anymore. There's still unity, but it might be with some anonymous individuals from across the globe.

[–] Zeth0s@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I do, I learned everything on Facebook. AMA

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

What is in the vaccine Uncle Jerry?

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There IS a best TV show and it’s Six Feet Under and it’s perfect and the ending makes me cri every time and I will FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES

But srsly it’s a 10/10

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

My wife and I just finished the finale tonight, and it was a great ending. Very little ambiguity, real closure, and an emotionally appropriate song.

But, I think it is far from "the best TV show". It may have been "the best" for a TV drama when it came out because it was groundbreaking, but the acting and writing at times could be pretty bad (so many dropped plots with no follow-up or consequences). It also went on for far too long, which was a consequence of having to create 12 episodes per season, each the same length.

It's worth watching, but I'd give it a 7.8/10.

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

That’s entirely fair. I watched it for the first time a decade (decades?) after it some out and it really struck a chord with me.

Then I began to date someone who is a funeral director and they didn’t know of its existence. I introduced them to it after having it be the first show I actually cried at and we both cried. So I have an emotional bias.

I still 10/10 it (and I’m harsh on movies and shows) because of my subjective experience.

Quick edit: I would love to know what show you would rate better. Not in an antagonistic sense, I am fully open to other opinions and I know mine is not THE CORRECT one. It’s just the show that hit me the hardest and that was before I was married to (or knew) my funeral director/mortician. Five years before.

Other edit : the worst dropped plot in the best show was The Sopranos rape plot. They just kinda.. didn’t do anything with it.

[–] ObsidianZed@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Also following because I like good recommendations. I don't know if I have one that I would necessarily rate 10/10 as the best show ever, but the first show that honestly had me cry/feel real feelings was Scrubs. And while it's up there, I still don't think I'd give it 10/10 myself.

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Edit: I can't believe I forgot Baskets. That show is a masterpiece.

There are a few shows I'd rate higher: Breaking Bad (although it had it's share of 'throw away' episodes), Reservation Dogs, Battlestar Galactica (so many throw away episodes), The Newsroom, and Deadwood. I think Deadwood would be my highest ranking, especially for writing and acting.

Obviously I'm sure plenty of examples can be given for why Six Feet Under is better than each of the shows I've listed, but that's the beauty of subjective lists!

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago

Breaking Bad was fucking stellar but there’s a couple shows I’d put higher—definitely The Sopranos, even though it took me maaaany years to get around to watching it! I followed breaking bad as it came out and loved it but I’ve yet to find a show that is as interesting as/hits me as hard as SixFunder.

I tried to watch deadwood and BSG and just couldn’t get into them. Maybe I give Deadwood another go!

[–] veroxii@lemmy.world 51 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm pretty happy here in our corner of Lemmy. Why would I want to know what's going everywhere on the internet all at once?

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago (2 children)

This.

Lemmy isn't at mass growth yet. So right now - it's nice to NOT see every stupid story about some no-name political guy say something stupid. Or NOT hear about some rage bait game pissing people off. Or NOT know about a shitty conglomerate is continuing being shitty.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

To be honest the feeling isn't like reddit of old, a lot of the people who have come here are the type finding pride in being on the outside and there's a lot of arrogance and pride with people on here for being the ones to move here.

I think they feel superior because they're over here and not reddit but reddit used to have brilliant long form discussions I'm just not seeing here. Granted reddit itself has way worse content now is definitely worse than lemmy, but we haven't captured what we lost.

[–] ObsidianZed@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Honestly, I came here because fuck Spez and stayed for the Linux news.

[–] ObsidianZed@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Wait, you're not seeing those posts? Because you just described like a third of all Lemmy posts that come across my screen.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 31 points 2 years ago

But I have heard of Stranger Things!

[–] oversea@lemmings.world 20 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I don't know how many are like me who almost doesn't watch tv shows at all. I tried to watch a few but at best it's quite mediocre to me compared to a good movie, and they are too long for my like. Nowadays I only watch movies, or read books, besides playing games. I don't know how much I'm considered a weirdo today for not watching tv shows at all.

[–] StorminNorman@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Where as I'm the converse, all I watch is tv these days. Will watch 10 movies a year, if that. I long the longer and stronger connection I can form with the characters over a tv season. And I did they can tell more elaborate stories with the longer time compared to a movie. Different strokes for different folks though.

[–] KrapKake@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Don't worry, I watch neither TV shows nor movies. I would just rather do something else with my time, like programming stuff, learning something new, and playing video games. If I am stuck with nothing to do I will watch something on YouTube. I think I would rather watch content made by real people instead of studios if that make sense.

[–] Fungah@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I stopped gaming, watch almost no TV and it's been like this for about a year. It just kind of happened. I've learned python and am getting the hang of bash, I've actually been making progress on my hip hopera about casual every day political extremism, I've redecorated my house using generative ai (in fact it's what's actually allowed me to work on my hip hopera because I do not sound great tapping even if I've got rhymes for days), repainted most of my home, refinished my bath tub, made an 8 foot tall demon statue out of cement that, while terrifying at first, I've come to feel quite a bit of fondness for. Also built my girlfriend a life sized turtle statue for her birthday, created a short comic book and action figure for a superhero alter ego for same girlfriend for Christmas , learned how to use a whole host of generative ai technologies, wrote a 60 page Star Trek the next generation erotic fan fiction which I've begun recording using audio AI models I've trained of the Enterprise crew for maximum effect (I'm ashamed this exists honestly but I'll be damned if I let an abomination go to waste), replaced the faces and voices of every character in the empire strikes back with my face and voice and distributed to my friends, so many things.

It's weird to look back on this last year and a) see all the things I've done and b) realize that there's so many years where I did literally nothing

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Where do you get your Adderall? I've tried talking to my doctor about it and he just says that I'm trying to take on too much, but I feel like I've been able to accomplish almost nothing this year.

Also, please share your fanfic when you've gotten it recorded.

[–] Fungah@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

https://soundcloud.com/kringo-sturng. I uploaded the first but to my SoundCloud ²hich I started at a friend's behest.

I get my vyvanse from the pharmacy. Started it a few years back but I was never really productive about things until I lost my father to lung cancer. I'd always felt like life is short and tried to seize the day but it dawned on me that when I went I'd leave nothing behind. So I've been just... Creating. Learning how to create things j want to create but can't. If I died tomorrow there's be some evidence I was here, for a while anyway. It makes me feel more accepting of my inevitable death.

Also I'm definitely abnormal and pretty creative. When you stop caring about whether anything you make is good and just focus on the act itself you get better. It's the damnedest thing.

[–] variants@possumpat.io 2 points 2 years ago

By myself I never really watch TV shows for the same reasons you mentioned but with my wife we watch an episode of something for dinner. Shows like chernobyl or the wire were really good and I'm glad I watched them but there are a lot of shows that just don't end and they get old quick

[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Yeah I haven't watched a show in so long. There's some I know I'd like but don't care enough to get engaged, it's the same with a lot of movies. I find the way a lot of characters are portrayed I have no connection with and feel like I'm watching these weird uncanny valley versions of people.

[–] Amphobet@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 years ago

Thanks for posting the archived version. I ran across this story recently and hit a paywall right after the article mentioned the problem with paywalls.