How do you watch TV? Do you pay a traditional cable company for many TV channels? Or are you a “cord cutter,” someone who primarily watches Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming services, and does not have a cable subscription? If you are a “cord cutter,” you are part of the growing number of people who are forgoing network television for streaming programs. In 2015, the number of pay cable subscribers shrank by 1.1 million subscribers and in 2016, that number rose to 1.7 million fewer subscribers (Baumgartner, 2017). Meanwhile, the number of Netflix subscribers has continued to grow; by 2018 there were nearly 118 million subscribers globally (Molla, 2018).
In August of 2017 Netflix launched marketing campaign #thefirsttimeisawme. In this campaign, people of color, people with disabilities, people of different ethnicities, and gender non-conforming individuals recounted the first time they saw people like them on television. Representation is powerful. So, this was a marketing campaign, but is this really a reason people are watching streaming video?
This paper hypothesized that users watch streaming video in order to see “people like themselves;” people of the same race, gender, and cultural background. However, the open-ended questions in the qualitative portion of a survey revealed that people are motivated to watch streaming video for better programming and functionalities like ease of use, being able to watch entire seasons, and lack of commercials. The majority of respondents did not say that seeing “people like you” was a primary motivation. Potential impacts of increased use of streaming video include social currency changes, changes in accepted representations of race, gender, and class, and regulatory and structural alterations of the television and cable industry.
Baumgartner, J. (2017, March 6). Cord Cutting Wave Keeps Building. Broadcasting & Cable. 147 (7), 26.
Molla, R. (January 22, 2018). https://www.recode.net/2018/1/22/169...
About the presenterAmanda S. McClain
Amanda McClain is Associate Professor of Communications at American Public University. McClain’s doctorate is in Mass Media and Communication from Temple University. She has published two books: American Ideal: How American Idol Constructs Celebrity, Collective Identity, and American Discourses (2011) and Keeping Up the Kardashian Brand: Celebrity, Materialism, and Sexuality (2013). She is also the Co-Chair of the TV Area for PCA/ACA. McClain’s research interests include reality TV, social media, and celebrity.