There’s something funny happening with your Netflix thumbnails. The streaming giant has perfected a recommendations algorithm that keeps its subscribers happy, or so they probably thought. Their latest innovation — which seemingly sees Netflix targeting users by race and gender — may be doing more harm than good.
If you’ve scrolled through your Netflix homepage recently, and wondered why Lucy Liu graced the thumbnail of Set It Up instead of leads Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell, you’re not alone. Recently, several black Netflix subscribers discovered that the thumbnails for shows and movies featured on the streaming service’s homepage showed minor characters of color instead of the (usually white) leads.
Writer and Rise of Charm City podcast creator Stacia L. Brown shared some of these Netflix thumbnails from her homepage for movies like Like Father, Love Actually, and Set It Up, all of which featured black characters, some of whom barely had more than 10 minutes of screentime.
Brown’s comments are full of black Netflix users who felt similarly targeted by the race. One person was upset to note that he felt “unnecessarily targeted” despite rarely watching “black” titles on the streaming service.
It’s not just Brown; other black Netflix subscribers chimed in on Twitter to say they similarly felt targeted based on their race. One person noted that he rarely watches “black” titles on the streaming service, yet still feels “unnecessarily targeted.”
Other Black @netflix users: does your queue do this? Generate posters with the Black cast members on them to try to compel you to watch? This film stars Kristen Bell/Kelsey Grammer and these actors had maaaaybe a 10 cumulative minutes of screen time. 20 lines between them, tops. pic.twitter.com/Sj7rD8wfOS
— stacia l. brown (@slb79) October 18, 2018
Netflix denied any allegations of its algorithm targeting users based on race, releasing a statement to The Fader saying:
Reports that we look at demographics when personalizing artwork are untrue. We don’t ask members for their race, gender, or ethnicity so we cannot use this information to personalize their individual Netflix experience. The only information we use is a member’s viewing history. In terms of thumbnails, these do differ and regularly change. This is to ensure that the images we show people are useful in deciding which shows to watch.
It’s pretty evident based on the different thumbnails Nefflix subscribers are shown that, Netflix tailors them to each user in some way. The company has been open about “artwork personalization” in the past, and wrote a post on Medium about the methods behind alternate thumbnails. “The artwork may highlight an actor that you recognize, capture an exciting moment like a car chase, or contain a dramatic scene that conveys the essence of a movie or TV show,” they wrote, all in an effort to “improve member experience.” That post also explained how someone who watches more romances is more likely to see a thumbnail of a couple from a movie, while someone who watches more comedies will likely see a comedic actor instead.
But still, it’s a little creepy how far these algorithms seem to go, especially considering the differences regarding race. Sure, Netflix may purport to help members discover movies they’d like, but doesn’t curating their marketing this way prevent people from discovering new things? If you like romantic comedies, I doubt you only want to watch romantic comedies and even if you do, you’re gonna be pissed when you find out that depressing drama was mismarketed to you. And if white users continue to see things promoted featuring only white actors – especially movies like Mudbound that are primarily about black experiences – well that’s obviously a huge problem.
(Excerpts) Read More at: SlashFilm.com and ScreenCrush.com