One thing about me is that I like pretty much every movie or tv show that I see. Knowing this, my friend Dan recently asked me why I bother to rate things on Netflix.
First some clarifications. While I do like pretty much everything I watch, I don't choose to watch everything. If there's something I don't think I'll like, I won't watch it, and won't rate it. For example, I despise "The Millionaire Matchmaker", everyone on it, and all it stands for, so I don't watch it. When I do find myself watching it, thanks to Rachel, I make snide comments about Patti the matchmaker the whole time. If I were ever forced to watch an entire season of it, I would probably rate it 1 or 2 stars.
That brings up the Netflix rating system. They only let you rate something 1 to 5 stars, which corresponds to Hated, Didn't Like, Liked, Really Liked, and Loved. Because there are three positive ratings, it's not quite a ceiling effect, so there's still room for comparisons. While I wish they let you rate half stars, (allowing for even more room), I still find there is a noticeable difference between my 3-, 4- and 5-star rated movies. Either way, it's not like the system is Like vs. Not Like and I'm rating everything Like.
Now on to why I bother with the ratings:
1. Every time I watch something new, I rate it, so rating reminds me of what I've seen.
2. Related to #1, rating things also lets other people know I've seen something, and how I felt about it.
3. On Netflix, how similar your tastes are to that of your friends is determined by ratings. The more you rate, the more accurate the similarity estimation. For example, based on our ratings, my brother and I are 95% similar, suggesting that taste in movies is partly genetic.
4. Netflix uses your ratings to suggest other things you might like. Like with #3, the more you rate, the more accurate these suggestions will be.
5 comments:
Doug, Doug, Doug: a 95% similarity rating with Dan tells us nothing about the potential genetics of movie taste. You both grew up in exactly the same household, which could also explain the similarity.
What you really need is a similarity test with Phillip. He is, of course, as genetically close to you as Dan, but he didn't grow up with you. His time away in that home for special boys creates the perfect natural experiment.
Now if only we could find him.
actually, I'm working on a new technique that will separate out the relative influence of shared and non-shared environment within siblings raised together. and by working on, I mean that I completely made it up just now and think that most twin studies are probably bunk as well
How did I know you would question my science?
One thing about Philip I never told you. He's not my full sibling. We didn't have the same mother. Or father. He just appeared one day in that tree. That's why no one was too broken up when he died multiple times.
Also, didn't you hear how they isolated the Netflix gene? I'm sure I read about it in Science or one of the CSPHQC journals.
Rachel: I'm thinking that technique would sell pretty well.
Doug: we just know each other so well. I knew you like all movies you watch. You knew that I was a nit-picking jerk.
Also, speak for yourself, Philip's third death hit me pretty hard.
Ah, soulmates.
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