Opinion: What we lose when streaming platforms try to win

In January, Netflix executives announced their plan to release a blockbuster-level movie every week for the next year. Because of 2020, streaming has become more popular and fruitful as families are spending more time at home. Besides Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, AppleTV and HBO Max have been growing their libraries in order to invite more and more subscribers.

However, this streaming may be toxic for other forms of entertainment.

Since its inception, Netflix has been in direct competition with Hollywood and movie theaters. In the last ten years, the streaming service has been producing more and more original content, as well as forming a deal with Nickelodeon in order to compete with similar sites.

According to CNBC, Netflix has recently increased their prices for the standard subscription by $1 a month, and by $2 a month for premium. Alex Sherman, the author of the article, warns, “Don’t be surprised if you’re reading the same story next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.”

But Netflix is not the only platform expanding their audience.

Disney has recently faced drama that had their streaming scores drop before their Q1 2021 earnings date meeting, and even cancelled their free-trial period to get viewers to commit to paying for watching their shows — specifically original series like “The Mandalorian.”  After Gina Carano, who plays Cara Dune, on the show was cancelled on Twitter for offensive tweets, Disney fired her from the company.

Many fans were outraged because of the destabilizing power of “cancel culture,” which is getting out of hand, and fought back at Disney by canceling their Disney+ accounts. However, Stephan Silver, a writer for National Interest, explained that the trending hashtag and drama will not have much of an effect on Disney’s earnings: “Three months from now, there’s a good chance Disney will announce another subscriber count increase in the millions, with nothing related to Carano even remarked upon.”

The Twitter hashtags #FireGinaCarano and #CancelDisneyPlus are liberal and conservative polarized attempts at generating social media arguments. I agree that Carano needed to be disciplined and dealt with, but the fact that male colleagues like Pedro Pascal have said equally problematic things and have faced no reprimand, says a lot more about double-standards and sexism in Hollywood and companies like Disney.

In all, Carano got a hard-learned lesson but didn’t deserve to be dumped by Disney or her own talent agency.

In the past, she not only mocked pronouns but made fun of pandemic safety measures. However, her cancelling is an example of problematic behavior on the part of streaming platforms — executives didn’t even bother to tell Carano until they made the news public. While Carano was reportedly fired for unprofessional social media posting that was insensitive to minorities, people believe that her lack of ability to conform to specific viewpoints, just to appease people, is why Disney canceled her.

The competition between Disney+, Netflix, and other streaming sites will only become worse. The endorsement of certain political views has alienated some fans. Both companies’ selfish natures have corrupted series and movies, making soulless films for the YA audience with no taste instead of creating quality content. Content is being dictated too much by public opinion, including cancel culture and political correctness, and these corporations have proven that they will do whatever they have to in order to keep subscriptions.

While I agree with the intention that liberal media is trying to attach to its brand — equal representation, diversity and minority empowerment — it’s obvious they don’t care enough to actually know what a “strong female character” or “proper representation” really is. Service providers will only try to appease people online, with their business choices including firing certain employees, and creating “woke” content.

The effects streaming services have on entertainment are not limited to the poor quality of new films and political agendas. Streaming services may take attention away from movie theatres, threatening businesses and jobs. Whether or not you plan on cancelling your streaming service subscriptions, it is important to know about the agendas and ideologies of the companies you support, and be aware of the true intentions of corporations that will do anything to please their (potential) fans.

Megan Cowdell is a freshman opinion columnist studying for a bachelor’s in Communications. She loves music, reading and wants to write books for a living.

megan.cowdell@usu.edu