Netflix Adding Double Thumbs Up Button to Better Curate Our Queues

Netflix is making a whole lot of moves as of late. First, the streaming platform revealed it would release a staggering 86 or so movies in 2021. Then, it introduced firmer plans to crack down on password sharing. And that’s not to mention a movie category inspired by Saturday Night Live. Now, to better curate our streaming needs, Netflix is adding a new button to better demonstrate viewers’ responses to content. Introducing the Double Thumbs Up button.

Currently, you can respond to Netflix content with two reactions. You can either give content a Thumbs Up to indicate a positive response or a Thumbs Down to suggest a negative reaction. Netflix uses these reactions to better curate a user’s profile. But the streaming platform is hoping to get more specific. Netflix unveiled the new Double Thumbs Up button, which is available now, in a blog post. (We first saw it at  The Verge.)

As Christine Doig-Cardet, Netflix’s Director of Product Innovation, explains it:

Our current Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down buttons are a good way for you to tell us how you feel about a series or film, and in return, you get a profile that’s better personalized to your taste. However, we’ve learned over time that these feelings can go beyond a simple like or dislike. Providing an additional way to tell us when you’re really into something means a profile with recommendations that better reflect what you enjoy.

Doig-Cardet adds, for example, that with Bridgerton, if a viewer gives it a Double Thumbs Up, Netflix is more likely to recommend Shondaland shows—and content with actors in Shondaland shows. For instance, we’d imagine telling Netflix we loved Bridgerton will probably mean shows like Scandal, Inventing Anna will show up in the For You queue, as well as Sex Education starring Simone Ashley and Crashing with Jonathan Bailey.

Over the years, Netflix has employed a few different methods to gauge users’ interest in a show. Before the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down system, which launched in 2017, viewers could rank content out of five stars. (Additionally, an old feature allowed viewers to leave reviews. I miss it if only for the chaotic reviews.)

This certainly sounds like a worthwhile system. But still, while the trio of options is excellent and all, I do wonder when—or if—we’ll get some sort of “Just Okay” or “Shrug” button. Content that’s just okay is a valuable part of the viewing experience. While I await my Shrug button, I am excited to test Double Thumbs Up and see where my queue takes me.