Keywords

Platformization; Streaming Platforms; Film and Television; Software Studies; Netflix; Digital Media

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the Netflix streaming platform to better understand the platformization of film and television cultural production and content discovery. Building on platform studies and scholarship on platformization, this work contributes to the growing body of literature that critically examines the implications of digital platforms in reshaping cultural and creative industries. Using this framework, the dissertation explores how the evolution of content discovery mechanisms on Netflix affects the cultural production of the film and television industries. Chapter 1 frames Netflix as a platform within the platformization framework. Chapter 2 examines Netflix employees, who serve as gatekeepers by curating and editorializing content through their programming of the recommender system. Chapter 3 focuses on Netflix subscribers as third-party programmers who interactively program their profiles with content interactions and viewing history. Chapter 4 analyzes the constraints within Netflix’s recommender system that influence content discovery and, subsequently, the cultural production within the platform’s multisided market. Finally, Chapter 5 synthesizes the insights and contributions from each chapter, discusses research limitations, and proposes additional research opportunities for scholars to explore that could lead to a more comprehensive analysis of film and television streaming platforms and the ongoing platformization of content discovery. Ultimately, this dissertation critically analyzes how the Netflix streaming platform functions as a transformative media service that not only supplants but also reconfigures cultural production practices within the traditional film and television industries. It serves as an introductory investigation into streaming platforms and the platformization of film and television cultural production and content discovery.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Stanfill, Mel

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Texts and Technology

Identifier

DP0029271

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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