So I've noticed a strange shift in the national youth lexicon within the last year or so. The widely beloved TV and movie streaming website, Netflix, has evolved into a wink and nudge code term for people of my generation to ask someone to hook up.
In July of 2015, Netflix reported their subscriber count to be at 65.55 million with 42.3 million in the U.S and 23.35 million internationally. Although for most of its company career Netflix was an online system just for renting DVDs that would be delivered to you by mail, the company intelligently wised up to how their subscribers went up when they increased their services on video streaming. If video killed the radio star, then the internet has surely killed everything else. Just think — if you’re between the ages of 13-23, aren’t trips to the movie theater starting to become something more of a cute rarity that feels so omg, #tbt?
But why not? If you have your parents, cousins, and boss's son's cat's password to Netflix, you essentially have thousands of movies and TV shows to stream for free without ever having to leave your cramped twin sized bed.
So when and how did the shift all happen?
Just as Netflix's service priorities have shifted, so have the way we mention Netflix now. Since 2009, when Netflix really started hitting its popularity stride, until through most of 2014, millennials were tweeting about how they couldn't wait until they got home after a long day at work or school so they could Netflix and chill. It was understood that Netflix was the beautiful hero to combat stress so we were all publicly announcing how great it was to relax and unwind like this...by ourselves. Then suddenly in the summer of 2014, youths on Twitter were mentioning "Netflix and chill" with a wink. Guys were lamenting about not having someone to Netflix and chill with and jokingly (but not) offering applications for a partner to engage in this with over Tinder and other dating apps. And then in November of 2014, the starter pack memes on Twitter and Tumblr began. In these images the starter pack for a “Netflix and chill” session is comfortable clothing like a t-shirt and sweatpants…and condoms. By January of 2014, girls have started catching on to what "Netflix and chill" has changed to and start issuing warnings to other girls through social media. Memes pop up everywhere of a horrified face with the caption "but you said Netflix and chill". There are vines and GIFS joking about the sudden expectation for hooking up when mentioning Netflix, and by March of 2014, "Netflix and chill" is officially urban dictionary-certified.
My thoughts on this are that
1. Despite being a more progressive generation with many social issues, we have still not yet shed our Protestant roots.
We still feel uncomfortable discussing "taboo subjects." In this case, sex, or anything sexual, so we use the term "Netflix and chill" rather than going through a real discussion about consent or pleasure. Hooking up can definitely be great, but please do not ever assume that anyone is okay to do anything just because a term has caught on or because our culture seems to be more widely accepting of casual relations. Some people honestly just want someone to watch Netflix with, clothed. It's called companionship and as old school as it sounds, it can be pretty darn great. And if you think being explicit in your intentions is unsexy, I promise that, finding out that cute guy or girl you've been seeing at parties is on a sex offender list is far less sexy.
2. The digital age has created endless platforms for us to make jokes on.
Young people, especially, find ways to become famous off of how creatively they can discuss current events. But the level of anonymity and fame instantness, within these platforms, can often cause people to joke with too much of a light attitude or forget there are real people on the other end viewing them. Consent is always necessary for sexual acts. Just because a phrase exists, does not mean they "should have known better." And sexual aggression or unwanted advances are always serious, not jokes.
3. Wow, we are very removed from human interaction!
The way that this catch phrase evolved alone, seems like a perfect ironic metaphor for how desperate we are to constantly be distracted. If we can only connect to someone physically with "background noise" then that's a problem. Turn off the TV and try a conversation! Or dun dun dun...SILENCE! Lie next to someone, even for just for a few minutes and listen to their heart beat. Synchronize your breath to theirs. Hold them, instead of your phone. I realize this might be extremely foreign territory for most of the constantly plugged in, but hey, you might find it could bring you into a whole different level of...."chill".
