Level Up: How Netflix is Exploring More Diverse and Educational Content for Consumers

It looks that Netflix and Chill is slowly being replaced with Netflix and Educate in what seems to be a more concentrated effort to offer a larger variety of informative, original and variegated content. 

In 2016 and onward up to now, there was an influx of new documentaries and series that had an educational feel to them,beginning with the  2016 debut documentary 13th by flimmaker and prodecuer Ava DuVernay chronicling the dark history of slavery and racial ineqaulity in America. DuVernay specifically links it to the unjust climate of the prison system in America and the disproportionate amount of African-Americans incarcerated today. 

There’s also  the 2017 data filled Crime and Punishment, the Stephen Maing documentary about the NYPD’s unofficial arrest quotas and crooked policing practices plaguing people of color, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a stunning and sad story of trans* woman activist Marsha P. Johnson and the investigation into her mysterious 1992 death, and Remestered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay, a sweeping peek into the life and murder of one of hip hop’s bigest legends. 

Created in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in California, the subscription based streaming service boasts the most original content out of any other film and tv streaming service. CEO Hastings says that Netflix is in an excellent position as far as seeing no competition with other streaming sites such as Hulu and Disney+ - the goal is to keep curating creative, original media for consumers. 

“Over six years ago we got into original programming,” he said. “That has paid off. It’s been very important to the business to continue pushing down that road. More international, more global, more original film. We think we’re betting in all the areas of content that consumers love.” 

Representation matters as well, and some of the most sensational, educational and inclusive films and series have had the pleasure of gracing Netflix. Perhaps one of the biggest series that displayed the true mission of diversity and original content was the Central Park 5 based limited series, When They See Us directed by showstopping DuVernay once again. 

The documentary follows 5 phenomenal actors who portray the Central Park 5, a group of boys unfortunately turned too fast into men after they were accused of raping and beating a White female jogger in Central Park. DuVernay chronicles how the boys were wrongly accused, coerced into confessions that were untrue, abused and dehumanized by the media and prison system and eventually exonerated in 2002. DuVernay brought the real life Central Park 5 to the Oscars and the nation was engulfed in sharing the story and holding new conversations about resilience, people of color and the prison system. 

Netflix is the leader in showing representation for folks of color and marginalized communities, which is refreshing and important for us to see each other as varied, complex and layered as we're in a world that doesn’t see all of us, but only parts. 

"Unlike other networks, we can produce unique, layered and intersectional stories that shed a light on so many diverse walks of life," Netflix explained in its press email. "We're not like our competitors. We don't have advertisers to think of, or specific time slots to consider, or a cap on the amount of shows we can create. If we uncover a unique story that we think our members will enjoy, we'll make it, it's that simple."

Need a documentary on Black women entrepreneurs? Check out She Did That. Wanna learn about cuisine from a Black woman chef? Grab some popcorn and watch Chef’s Table. If listening to quirky music icon Janelle Monae narrate a series about sex, then Sex Explained may be your jam (but it’s not suitable for children, so grab some wine and watch it after hours). 

When it comes to Black culture, we deserve to be celebrated out loud in all mediums by these big companies and corporations because we’re the largest group of consumers of media and retail goods. Simply put, we drive the culture and everyone looks to us for the latest patterns and trends. Netflix knows that and honors it, so pay your bill each month and continue shaping the culture.