In the history of problematic features that come with various services this is probably one of those that is among the least intense out of any others despite how John Finn of Screenrant describes it. The Netflix autoplay that was implemented and occurs when a user places their cursor on a title is kind of annoying at times since it can be distracting, but overall it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened. All the same however Netflix has heard the subscribers as many have reported this and have asked how to shut it down, so they’ve responded. It does require logging into Netflix on a browser since it can’t be done over an app, but it’s fairly easy since all one really needs to do is go to “Manage Profile” where you can then decide if you want the autoplay on or off. For such a simple fix it’s hard to think that someone didn’t spread the word before so many had to reach out to Netflix and ask how to do it. This kind of makes a person wonder if people are becoming too reliant on apps these days or if common sense has taken a serious backseat to convenience, or both.
The previews do serve something of a purpose but only to those that are willing to sit there and watch to see whether or not they’d like to view the option that’s playing. As far as the rest of them it’s very easy to find a spot on the screen to leave one’s cursor where it’s not going to trigger the previews, but again that’s so simple that a lot of people appear to have missed it. The cynicism is a little stronger this time around since really it’s starting to feel as though the convenience of technology is allowing people to forget that common sense and thinking outside the box is still important when it comes to dealing with such small problems in life. This is something that a child could have likely figured out and fixed in the time that an adult decided to contact Netflix and ask about. Keep in mind the adult is likely old enough that they were around when Netflix came to be and has had years to find the ins and outs of the site and how everything works. Streaming services are actually pretty easy to use if one just takes the time to figure it all out since they tend to be very user friendly as it would make no sense for any of them to be anything less given the number of viewers they have, some of whom are actually still fairly technologically-impaired.
In fact the most trouble I can remember having with Netflix in the past, aside from when the site does go down every once a blue moon due to some unforeseen issue, was when they were still known primarily as a DVD distributor. Does anyone remember creating a list of movies they wanted to see and having to update it frequently when the movies became available? That was perhaps one of the most annoying things in the world when it came to Netflix since it became a daily chore at times to look at the DVD list and determine which titles one wanted to watch eventually and whether or not they’d be available since someone might have ‘forgotten’ to mail back their rented copy for days or even weeks on end. Granted, it was more of an annoyance than a difficulty, but that’s what this is too, as the simplicity in changing the settings is something that didn’t really require a call into Netflix, especially not by so many that could have easily figured it out on their own. This is what would make a person think that things are getting too easy, that the level of convenience we’re living with is becoming too great and is beginning to make us a little too soft around the edges.
You won’t hear a speech that starts out with “Back in my day…” as the old folks might be wont to do, but it is time to pick our heads up and remember that technology is great, it’s advancing our society in a number of ways that have been positive, entertaining, and even helpful, but it’s also dulling down the edges that people used to need to survive. Yes, this is a minor problem, a VERY minor problem since really all one needs to do is keep moving the cursor and not even bother with selections that they don’t want. The ‘inconvenience’ of having to hear a or watch a trailer is technically self-imposed since it’s easy to keep scrolling, and it’s even easier to learn how to use your service on your own without whining to Netflix about the ‘problem’.
Follow Us
