BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//UM//UM*Events//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Detroit
TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo/America/Detroit
X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20070311T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20071104T020000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20240129T084313
DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20240319T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20240319T163000
SUMMARY:Lecture / Discussion:DSI Lecture Series | The Right to Speed-Watch (or\, when Netflix Discovered its Blind Subscribers)
DESCRIPTION:Speed-watching\, an understudied-yet-ubiquitous spectatorial mode\, is often described by users as a productivity tool that can help them become digital “super-users.” This talk situates this emerging mode of spectatorship within longer histories of media consumption\, connecting it to both efficiency and disability activism. Using Netflix as a case study\, I focus on the recent public debate surrounding its failed attempt to add a playback speed feature to its streaming platform. World-renowned filmmakers pushed Netflix to shelve this idea when it was first introduced in 2018\, claiming their films were not intended to be watched twice as fast. Yet\, citing “requests from deaf and blind subscribers\,” Netflix decided to add this feature to its interface in August 2020\, when millions were sheltering-in-place due to the pandemic. This presentation asks what led to this decision\, and what can the marketing discourse surrounding it teach us about how corporations monetize “accessibility.” Theorizing the difference between \"time-shifting\" and \"time-hacking\"\, I argue that speed-watching is a mode of survival enabling different users to advance a wide range of goals: media literacy\, the thrill of speed\, and avoiding a mortifying fear of boredom.\n\nNeta Alexander is an Assistant Professor of Film and Media at Colgate University\, NY and a former Assistant Editor of the Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS). Her articles have appeared in Journal of Visual Culture\, Cinema Journal\, Cinergie\, Film Quarterly\, Media Fields Journal\, and Flow Journal\, among other publications. Her first book\, Failure (co-authored with Arjun Appadurai\; Polity\, 2020) studies how Silicon Valley and Wall Street monetize failure and forgetfulness. Her forthcoming book\, Interface Frictions\, explores how ubiquitous design features reshape users' relationships with their bodies.\n\nThis will be a virtual only event. No in-person option will be available.\n\nRegister here to attend virtually: https://bit.ly/3qXeOGe\n\nCART will be provided. If you anticipate needing accommodations to participate\, please email Eric Mancini at dsi-administration@umich.edu. Please note that some accommodations must be arranged in advance and we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible.\n\nWe would like to thank the following co-sponsors:\nDepartment of Communication and Media\nDigital Accessible Futures Lab\nUniversity of Michigan Initiative on Disability Studies\nDepartment of Film\, Television\, and Media\nDepartment of American Culture
UID:116008-21836061@events.umich.edu
URL:https://events.umich.edu/event/116008
CLASS:PUBLIC
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CATEGORIES:digital,Digital Culture,Digital Cultures,digital humanities,Digital Media,Digital Studies,Digital Studies Institute,digital technology,digitalization,digitization,Disability
LOCATION:Off Campus Location
CONTACT:
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR