The Netflix "Guess Your Future" challenge on TikTok, which uses a strange process to make predictions about the viewer's future, produced some strange results for people. Notable outcomes came in a wide variety of forms.
The challenge has a loose set of rules that basically just prime Netflix to play random scenes. The short version is, it involves picking a show based on a "pick a number between" set up, selecting a season and episode the same way, and jumping to a timestamp in the video. The scene that plays is your prediction. Given the levels of nonsense required to get there, this prediction is certainly going to be something absurd, when it's not entirely irrelevant. However, when it is relevant, magic happens.
The fun thing about the Netflix predicts challenge is the reaction people have to their results. The initial video, from @graciebergie on TikTok, doesn't even include the reaction, but it's effective because of how comically dark the prediction was. It captures that nigh inexplicable culture of metaphors the internet uses that refines awkward, common scenarios into relatable experiences with which we can all identify. It's more than just stupid fun. Other videos and posts of people's results are good for a laugh too, and they illustrate the other great thing about this challenge: its accessibility. The requirements to try it out are simple, there's no dance to learn or song to sing, and it's fun even if the result is randomness. People who would otherwise feel pressed to display some kind of talent can still engage with it.
The best moments from these predictions seem to come when the scene says something that could be perceived as profound and the viewer has a sobering moment. It's like the Netflix equivalent of the old "Double Rainbow" video.
Just as often as the outcome is meaningful and profound, it's also confusing nonsequiturs, and that's great, too.
Some of the better TikTok videos on this challenge are those that just catch a show at a perfect moment, like this one from @hailstormhaylee. The challenge itself just captures so much of what makes Netflix and streaming entertainment in general, so popular. The content offerings are so preposterously large that there's something for everyone, even if that thing is a silly joke that predicts their future. It also highlights just how successful Netflix has been in connecting to audiences and working its way into people's daily lifestyles.
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June 26, 2020 at 05:04AM
