Earlier this week, we were assigned a reading that detailed the differences between spreadable and sticky media, two distinct approaches for reaching out to a desired audience. A website focused on spreadability will be much more preoccupied with making its content accessible through various means in hopes of gathering a diverse audience. This also results in a wide selection of content that can be easily shared by those viewing/interacting with the website. On the other hand, a website prioritizing stickiness will be much more focused on gathering a sizable and loyal audience that is attracted to what is being offered to them on that single platform.
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| By YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/)[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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| By Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Youtube is a website that I feel embodies the spreadable approach, seeing as how the content produced is made easily shareable allowing individual videos to be sent to others and even embedded onto other websites. It is also made up almost entirely of user generated content, providing audiences with endless selections of videos that they can watch and share for free. On the other hand, I feel that Netflix is a much more sticky website, seeing as how all of its content is only accessible through its website/apps that require a subscription to get into. Its content also mostly consists of traditional media, such as movies and television shows made without the audience’s direct involvement.
I love how you gave examples of both a sticky platform and a spreadable platform. I definitely agree that Netflix is “sticky” as it does not allow people outside of that platform to share and partake in collaboration of information. Youtube is a great example of spreadable media, especially because you can bring your own ideas to the table through commenting and sharing, both easily done through this platform. Videos on YouTube are easy to share not only on personal social media, but on blogs and websites as well.
ReplyDeleteYour examples of comparing youtube to the spreadability model and netflix to the sticky model really helped me further understand the meanings of each definition. Youtube is probably one of the best examples of something that is spreadable because it relies on its user to generate material. Great post.
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