Netflix sent shockwaves through the press this week when it announced it was changing its company culture guidelines to effectively tell employees, "Either work on the content we tell you to work on, or if you disagree with that content, quit."
Honestly, I found this super refreshing.
I'm perfectly fine with companies like Netflix expressing some editorial judgement over what is or isn't allowable content on its services. These streaming companies are by definition publishers with complete control over what is or isn't made available to stream on their site, which necessarily gives them the license to make these judgement calls. In many cases, these companies are even footing the bill for the show's production, which adds a whole additional layer to this curation. Netflix will never be like Facebook where every flavor of toxic content can be found; there will always be a filter.
But historically when people have disagreed with what Netflix let through that filter, they targeted the company with angry tweets and protested outside Dave Chapelle shows. This just isn't proving to be effective. It's causing headlines for five, maybe six days, and then people just don't care enough to continue fighting. And Netflix knows this. It knows anyone going to a Dave Chapelle protest will be crashing on their couch later that night and putting on Stranger Things.
Words aren't always a great weapon when it comes to effecting change. Money is.
If you really want to effect change, send a signal with your money and your time. If you don't like that Spotify is still championing Joe Rogan as its podcasting poster boy after the misinformation he spread about COVID vaccines, then cancel your Spotify subscription. If you don't like that Chick-fil-A corporate supports many traditionally right-leaning causes and organizations, then stop eating at Chick-fil-A. And if you don't like the fact Netflix is still streaming Dave Chapelle's arguably homophobic comedy special, then unsubscribe from Netflix or stop working at Netflix.
I know all of this is always easier said than done, as not everyone is in a stable enough financial position to quit their job on the spot, and not having a Netflix subscription demotes you to second-class citizen in America nowadays. But what Netflix is doing in this announcement is clearly wearing its values on its sleeve (as I think any corporation should) and leaving it up to the consumer and employee to decide whether or not they align with those values. And I think that's a pretty effective way for socially conscious capitalism to work.
This new Netflix culture guideline feels like a refreshing return to people waging war with their wallets and their feet rather than their mouths. And I'm kind of here for it.
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