LOS GATOS, CA—Media giant Netflix, Inc. rolled out its latest feature this week as it continues its market dominance.
The new feature tests viewers on the content of the show they just finished watching, using primarily multiple-choice, some true/false, and a few essay-based questions.
In a press release, the company stated that this new feature was, in part, "an effort to help determine how sophisticated shows' story lines can be without losing viewers' attention." Indeed, some questions seem to assess this aspect of the shows. For example, this question appears sometimes after watching the first season of the hit Breaking Bad:
"Why did Walter White decide to try cooking methamphetamine (meth)?
a. He wanted to give it to Jesse, to say sorry.
b. He thought he could use it to sail away to China.
c. He hoped to make enough money to provide for his family before he died of lung cancer.
d. It was a dare from his wife."
Approximately 72% of test viewers successfully answered the question, according to Netflix, Inc. In such circumstances that the viewer gets a low score on the quiz, less-sophisticated recommendations will be offered to the viewer.
Apparently, in many instances, these quizzes may be used to determine just how much viewers are paying attention while their shows are streaming. The company's statement read, "We hope also to learn more about preventing situations where a child leaves the room while a show is playing, or an adult checks social media rather than stares obediently at our content."
This behavior is identified by certain patterns of answers that appear random, or just guesses. For example, following some episodes of Word Party, a show intended for young children, they may be asked what color balloon Bailey (the elephant) had at the end of the show. If the incorrect answer is given on enough questions, the viewer's stream may be interrupted every few minutes in the future with a prompt to continue it. This feature is expected to free up a massive amount of bandwidth within weeks.
There are critics of the new feature, however. Some right-leaning groups have called into question the necessity of such a move, also citing privacy concerns, and worries of algorithms deciding who is fit to watch what.
One critic spoke under the condition of anonymity, saying, "This seems all well and good now, but these test scores could easily turn into some sort of fitness test, or pseudo intelligence score. Have you seen some of these essay-based questions after some of the shows? You need a doctorate in modern literature to adequately answer some of them!"
When asked for an example, the critic directed The Colon to an essay-based question that follows The Last Jedi: "In 1,000 words or more, citing specific examples, explain what Luke Skywalker truly fears should he decide to help the Resistance."
The critic commented, "See? I mean, on the one hand, you could make a fair argument that he did not want Rey to abuse her power, but I think that maybe at a deeper level, what he 'truly fears' is failure. He can't stand the thought of losing another student to the Dark Side, right? But it's not so much losing her to the Dark Side, but that he lost her. See where I'm going?"
Other critics cite earlier leaks from Netflix meetings where there was talk of increasing the subscription prices for viewers who did not maintain at least a 70% on the quizzes, "for the privilege of our content." However, these leaks were not confirmed to be from Netflix.
In any case, thus far the feature seems to be well accepted by viewers. There is an 89% completion rate of the quizzes, and some seem to pay more attention to the shows now that they know that it will be on the test.
"I'm trying to raise my score up to 90%," said binge viewer Ezekiel Packer, 33. "I've been struggling a little since that 2001: A Space Oddyssey test. Jeepers, that was a doozy!"