I saw Disney+ memes and conversations everywhere yesterday.
I wasn't going to sign up. Although the truth is I would love to see some of the new content they are advertising. I Iove the Disney classics and I'm a big Marvel fan. But let me explain why I think it's best not to go all in. Not specifically with Disney, but with streaming services...
In the end, I was offered a 7-day trial. And it's amazing being able to see near every one of my most loved franchises all in one service, I have to admit.
So let me explain, why I will still probably deactivate the service, and more, why I've decided to scale back on streaming services all together. Let me tell you why I would put it out there that I honestly recommend everyone doing the same.
I would recommend against Disney+. In fact I would say to not to use streaming services at all, or limit the number to one, maybe two. And I'd instead much more recommend to my friends only buying what they want to watch.
And I'm not saying this because I'm stuck in my ways or because I'm overly suspicious of media or technology companies. I'm a bit skeptical on the positive psychological effects of at-your-fingertips media, but I would just like to see more studies done on it is all. In fact, if anything I've been very excited by some of the interconnectedness we've found in some of these things. So I'll explain...
It seems tedious, sure, but for one: picking and watching content specifically and purposely with your buying power is just more thought out. I know I get a lot more enjoyment out of it that way. Whether it was something I knew I really wanted to see, or if it was a fluke and maybe it feels like a waste of money. It's never really a waste because it's a little micro experience I had... the impact is larger, in that way. We miss out on so many of these little things in our more and more force-fed internet culture.
As a mom especially, those are the small, good things I want my kids to know, and experience for themselves as they are learning to make their own decisions. Little micro life lessons that build up to a grander, more thoughtful worldview.
But on another note, the more we consume through large streaming services, though it seems like we have more choices than ever, in actuality we give more power to those companies to give us "choices" and the less control we have over content we are viewing, especially the more we subscribe with our dollars to big singular companies to stream to us. Sure there is row after row, genre after genre to choose now. But will it remain that way? Are we sure? It's an awful lot of power we are just giving away. It seems small. But marginally, it adds up to a lot.
Not to say buying is dead... yet... but that's the point. Owning copies of their products disallows companies like Disney from covering over their past beloved works, and keeps them from only offering what they want you to see. As they change their assortment of offerings according to whatever they are currently hoping to promote, investing in their gigantic corporate cultural platitudes.
In the end, as more and more move to streaming, and we live in an age of companies capitalizing on information, I think it's extremely important to keep content buying alive... It helps us understand the media and information we truly value, and keeps each of us individualized in this globalized world. And seriously, I really can't think of any worse form of propaganda than that which can be presented to you with the allusion of artistic variety and choice.
If it's your thing right now. Great. Love it. Enjoy it. But maybe give some thought to that big picture.
