Netflix all’italiana: The Netflix Experience as Narrated by Italian Users

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present paper contributes to Internet-distributed television research by illustrating the results of a qualitative empirical study carried out in October 2019: by originally combining the tools of social research and ethnosemiotics, the study investigated how a panel of sixty Italian Netflix viewers perceived the platform’s recommender system and its impact on their autonomy of taste and choice. The ethnosemiotic analysis confirmed, through direct observation of user practices, the generally favourable perception of the ‘Netflix experience’ as an adequate balance between personalised recommendations and freedom of choice. At the same time, it also highlighted its problematic features, showing that synchronised and collective experiences remain important values in ‘streaming culture’ and that subscribers adopt a variety of tactics to circumvent the recommender system.