Netflix is about to eliminate a feature that lets users read and write reviews of TV shows and movies on their desktops. CNET reports that the shutdown is taking place in stages, with users to no longer be able to write reviews by July 30, followed by a mid-August deadline at which point existing reviews can no longer be read.
The move follows an intermediate phase launched early last year in which the company shifted from a system letting people rate programs using one to five stars. That system was replaced at the time with a simple thumb’s-up or thumb’s-down — a system that was sharply criticized.
The report quotes Netflix spokesperson Smita Saran saying in an email Thursday, in reference to the written reviews: “This feature is only offered on the website and has seen declining usage over time.”
CNET notes: “The current thumbs up or thumbs down system, which is completely independent from the written reviews, will remain after the changes.”
Netflix wants to make sure to stifle commentary on upcoming productions “crafted” by a certain former president and his wife who, I’m sure, won’t be using their programs as a means to win hearts-and-minds of the young and gullible. “Make a million of me….”