Because sometimes, one thumb isn’t enough.
Netflix officially launched a new reaction button Monday in the form of “two thumbs up.” According to a company blog post, the idea is to let people more effectively communicate to the streaming giant when a show or movie really, really hits their entertainment sweet spot.
This new reaction joins the now underwhelming “single thumb up” and “thumb down” as a way for Netflix users to add intentional input into the recommendation algorithm powering their content gavage.
“Consider Two Thumbs Up as a way to fine-tune your recommendations to see even more series or films influenced by what you love,” reads Netflix’s announcement. “A Thumbs Up still lets us know what you liked, so we use this response to make similar recommendations. But a Two Thumbs Up tells us what you loved and helps us get even more specific with your recommendations.”
Credit: Netflix
This, of course, makes good business sense for the content creation juggernaut; more shows and movies that subscribers love translates directly to more time spent in the app, and less time those same paying customers spend thinking about canceling their subscriptions.
Credit: Netflix
Also, at least theoretically, it’s also a win for subscribers who can now emphasize that while they like Johnny Mnemonic, they love Nicolas Cage in Jiu Jitsu. These, after all, are distinctions of great importance.
“Providing an additional way to tell us when you’re really into something means a profile with recommendations that better reflect what you enjoy,” adds Netflix.
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Notably, Netflix has played around with its feedback options over the years. In March of 2017, Netflix announced it was retiring its then rating system of 5 stars. “Five stars feels very yesterday now,” Netflix’s VP of Product Todd Yellin said at the time.
If this latest experiment with user feedback goes well, perhaps Netflix will continue tweaking its recommendation system — perhaps by adding even more thumbs, maybe even three, for a total of five?
