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Why do they keep giving the word "streamers" new meanings??
A streamer is someone who streams, as in Twitch streamers.
But for some reason they started using it about the streaming services and now it's also the people using streaming services to watch stuff..?
Breaking: Streamers renamed Ribbons, totally unrelated streamers are up in arms
Did you know that the word "Run" has hundreds of definitions? Like, more then 600 depending on who you ask.
wow never thought about that!
Is it in the running for most useful word, or have we just run out of words?
I don't know, they should run some studies on it.
Using it to describe streaming services isn't new. For example, here's a Variety article from 2019 that uses it that way.
I agree, I've always known them as subscribers, not streamers
That's the usage you're familiar with. But even if it was widely accepted at some point, the meaning can change over time. That's normal, that's what languages do. If you complain about shit like that, you sound like my 80 year old father.
Right, but part of that process is people thinking some of it is stupid and pushing back. Language isn't immune to the pressures that form it.
Likewise, just because you know how something works doesn't divorce you from the causal forces that bring it into being. The language changes because we change it. It's okay to try to do it actively.
Let's discriminate the term further by calling the producer the "stream source" and the consumers the "stream sink".
We now have "sourcers" and "sinkers". Thank me later. Or don't.
Please stop calling streaming services, "streamers". That term already refers to people who livestream. It's not cute and it's very confusing and annoying to hear about how the MPAA or SAG-AFTRA rail against "streamers" when the average streamer probably makes below $1k a year (if they're making anything), has no employees, and is likely doing their best to entertain a small group of viewers for 3+ hours, live, and without a script.
Oh wait, you're not talking about that kind of streamer, you're talking about the one that serves other people's videos on demand and makes billions a year, all while paying their employees like shit, pledging the bankrupt unions and driving people to piracy.
As someone who thinks a lot of twitch streamers are funnier and more entertaining that 90% of the trash released today, please don't dirty the term.
I honestly thought the headline was about a new twitch stream trend at first. It definitely seems like watching someone pick out movies on Netflix could be a Just Chatting trend.
"Streamer" has been a widely-used entertainment-industry term for streaming companies for years. It's not a new thing people are making up to be cute.
Why not just 'viewers'?
For how long? First time I heard that term was when Vinesauce started streaming via Livestream around 2010-ish (I didn't watch them during their Livestream days, wish I had; sounds like they had a neat setup).
Edit: justin.tv originally launched in 2007, which would have potentially put it before Netflix's announcement to start a streaming service.
This is the same issue i seem to have with Game Pass. All scrolling, no playing.
Same issue with my Steam library
It begins before you even open the streaming service, since you gotta also decide what the hell service it's on
you know, I've got 2K movies on my jellyfin server, along with about 6K episodes. it takes me FOREVER to find something. Endless entertainment, and i still can't find shit to watch.
Plex has a random button for movies and TV so often my friends/family and I will play a game I like to call the random game.
Everyone gets 1 veto, and any movie can be skipped by majority vote. Just keep hitting the random button until something sticks. Eventually you'll hit a movie to watch, and it's never failed to be a good time.
Bonus game is try to guess the movie first - unfortunately I usually win because I put the movies on there so I know the approximate list of options.
I use a program called The Hat in which you can add text entries to a list and then randomize their order. When I want to play a game, for instance, I'll throw in 3-5 that I'd be okay with playing, and then let fate decide.
As long as you don't allow yourself to veto the randomization and second guess, I'd say that method works pretty well. If I only have two choices sometimes I flip a coin
I do this, only I allow myself to veto the random result ONLY if it's to substitute something I'd rather watch. Occasionally, rolling the dice on a list is a pretty good way to force my mind to pick a favorite and settle on actually watching it.
How much storage space do you have??
20TB. Small by comparison to some people.
Well, yeah, there is just so much junk "originals" on streaming services since the studios think the best way to gain subscribers is quantity over quality.
Back in the day, random bad movies are FUN to watch, but now, they are just bad in a boring way.
I don't think anybody wants to attach their name to a bad show, people usually want to be proud of what they worked on. But of course, if the ones insists on pushing out as much """"content""""" as possible at the cost of people's passion, treating people as disposable metrics to pump up the number of shows on your streaming service, then passionless """"content"""" that nobody wants to watch is what you are going to get.
Support the strike, so that there is a possibility that after all this, people can refind their passion and make good, sincere, and human things again.
This is why I like star trek. Finished watching TNG? Better watch DS9 again. Finished watching DS9? Well I haven't seen Voyager in a while. Done with Voyager? Well I haven't seen TNG in a while
Well not anymore. I cancelled most of them, and I suspect more people will do the same eventually.
That's why I don't have any subscriptions running atm. I sub one month and watch the thing I want to. After that I'm tone again.
Just wait and see how streaming services will give special discounts for 24 month subscriptions in the near future. After VPNs and password sharing the monthly subscriptions will be the next thing that falls. Then we'v gone full circe to cable.
Meh, I don't think cable will make a comeback, either. My roommate is a boomer and she still watches cable TV, and I can't even stand to be in the room when it's on.
I'd just watch nothing if streaming platforms were taken away. I'll never go back to cable format.
I'm not a boomer. I'm only 36 and I have YouTube Tv which is just like cable.
I've met other people recently who switched to cable from streaming too. DVD's are also making a comeback.
Maybe you can't stand it but some of us love it. Feels like its still 2004 at my house.
You love the constant ad breaks and lack of ability to watch what you want when you want?
I watch what I want when I want. DVR is still a thing lmao
Dvr is also a slave to cable schedule. You have to remember to record things, etc. Streaming is superior in that reguard.
No? I set a show to record and its there forever.
edited to add: unless you don't know what you like? I mean, I like something, I record it. Then I can watch it. Super easy. no scrolling.
Does anyone have a tool they recommend for choosing a movie to watch with friends? We usually spend ~30 minutes trying to find something everyone's interested in watching that none of us have seen before.
I use a tool called Series Guide (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.battlelancer.seriesguide) to track the various series i am already watching/interested in. But for movies generally we add the to the list and then choose from it if we fancy a film. But I suspect as it's usually just the two of us that's an easier decision.
Even though I pay for a handful of streaming services I'm subscribed via RSS to a pirate scene releases log. If something catches my eye, which doesn't really happen all that often, I add it to Radarr which downloads it to my home server / Plex. Other times me or my girlfriend add movies to Radarr due to word of mouth or some other reason.
This library is basically stuff we have an interest in watching so when we're up for watching something it doesn't take long to choose.
Gotcha yeah thnx, Plex + *rr apps are also what we use. We just spend ~30 minutes browsing Plex titles and collections 🤣
YouTube TV here - I rarely spend any time scrolling. There's almost always something on and if there isn't, I've already got something good recorded or I'll switch over to Pluto Tv.
Streaming is for normies who clearly can't make decisions lol
What’s your secret? Youtube just keeps recommending me the same shit. Their algorithm just makes it so that you’re rarely seeing new stuff.
Well it's YouTube Tv so its more like cable. Lots of channels happen to show things I like still - I'm still really into adult swim and just started watching Teenage Euthanasia and Royal Crackers.
I still watch older sitcoms too. Like right now I'm watching Newsradio. I'm also into like some game shows so there's a lot to choose from there although I tend to go for the weirder stuff. I got hooked on watching Hollywood Squares for like a week lol
I have regular YouTube but I've never really watched anyone who just makes youtube videos except I watched Report of the Week for awhile. Unfortunately as much as I like the guy who does those, Reviewbrah - he's reviewing fast food and I have a terrible time fighting cravings if I watch his reviews. So I had to stop watching his channel. Fucker got me to gain like 40 lbs probably.
Gotcha, lucky you that the algorithm seems to align with your viewing habits. For me I'd say I easily waste the quoted 10 minutes to find something to watch on YouTube.
Whoa, yeah I never take 10 minutes to look for something to watch. Maybe 2-3 minutes? And that's only if I have a case of being extra indecisive.
After reading through the comments and talking to some other people, it seems the real issue is that people don't know what they want to watch. I already know what I like. So that's some weird advantage I have cause it seems more common that people don't even know what they really like watching.
I often use to describe myself as very picky because I would always want to watch specific things where as other people around me always wanted to just watch whatever was new or out at the time. So I just always have this mindset of, I know what I want to see next.
Also YouTube Tv isn't like YouTube with algorithm. It's more like cable tv. I have tv network channels to choose from and I can set shows to record so its more like when you had cable or satellite back in like 2010.
Interesting. I searched for YouTube tv on my android tv but can only find the base YouTube app. Sounds like you’re saying this is some separate sort of app? How do you obtain it?
Edit: not available in Canada. Well that explains our very different experiences.
That does seem to be a huge drawback in Canada. So many things aren't available there.