Tired of scrolling down over and over again to find something to watch on Netflix? ‘’Netflix and chill’’ seems a drag when you don’t know what to watch. Majority of us get overwhelmed on Netflix and if you are as indecisive as me when it comes to picking what to watch then you have come to the right place.
Searching on Google and asking a friend might work sometimes but we have got you a complete guide that can optimize your Netflix viewing experience. But before that let’s first understand how Netflix’s recommendation system works.
How Netflix gets to know you
Netflix has a complete recommendation system at play and the ‘’recommended for you’’ section is its production. The recommended section works differently from ‘’because you watched [the movie you recently watched]’’ section.
Netflix does not only know what you watched and whether you liked it or not. It also knows how you watched it. Let’s define that ‘’how’’ for you. Consider there’s a movie trilogy available on Netflix that you binge-watched over one night. That will tell the system that you liked that movie more than a thumbs up. Now imagine there is another movie that you were watching and halfway through you stopped watching it. Without even rating it, you switched to another one; Netflix assumes that you did not like it.
After gathering all the data about you, the recommended section is tailor-made for you. The popular section contains all those movies that received the maximum number of thumbs up by the users.
Now that you have the idea about how it works, here is how you can manipulate it to show you the maximum good stuff available on the site.
Rate everything you watch
Just as you would like to read a review or look IMDB rating for the movie or show you are going to watch, let others know what you think of what you just watched on Netflix. Although Netflix rating is a bit of black or white now (thumbs up for like and thumbs down for a dislike) but the rating is still important.
If you come across something you have already watched, stop by and rate it as this will be listed under things you like or dislike in Netflix track record. The more data Netflix has about you, the more are the chances that good movies/shows pop in your recommended session.
Free your watch history from the movies you did not like
Like most other online systems, Netflix is also not error-free. You might end up watching a movie that you would not like. If you watched a movie you did not like and forgot to give it a thumbs down, the movie will still make a ‘’because you watched’’ list.
In order to avoid that, remove it from watch history. Go to the screen you use to watch movies on Netflix. Now, go to Viewing Activity option on your profile. This will display a complete record of everything you have watched so far. You have the option to delete whatever you want to from the watch history. Delete the ones you do not want to be influencing your movie recommendations.
Create dedicated profiles
If you are not sharing Netflix with anyone then we have another great hack for you. You can split your profile into dedicated profiles. This means you can set up each screen for a different category. For instance, you can split it in reality shows, comedy, thriller, documentaries and more as you like. Once you start using screens for their specified purposes, the type of movies/shows popping up in each of the profiles will be optimized.
Make use of ‘’my list’’ feature
Netflix also offers its users to save items for later. For instance, if you find something interesting while scrolling down and don’t want to watch it immediately, you can add it to my list and view it later. You can visit your list anytime you want and view the items that you saved.
Add plugins
If you are watching Netflix on a desktop or a laptop, you can add plugins to your browser to enhance your experience. For instance, there are a couple of plugins available on the market that let you add rotten tomatoes rating next to Netflix movie title.
The platform also offers a party plugin that lets you watch a movie with your friends through Netflix. It allows you to have a synced playback and group chat with which you can actually discuss while watching a movie giving you a virtual movie night feel.
If you optimize your Netflix just as above, we assure you a way better Netflix experience with less time-wasting on scrolling hopelessly.
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