One thing that I’ve determined over the past few first days of school is that there is a dire need to discuss media and entertainment preferences school-wide.

I’ve noticed walking through the halls and glancing at people’s phones or computers that everyone’s preference for entertainment is wildly different.

One second I’ll be looking at a group of kids my age dancing on TikTok, and the next I’ll see a timelapse of someone mowing their lawn.

And with 700 million TikTok users being averaged this year, it’s only natural that there would be tons of variety when it comes to the videos being shown.

However, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to TikTok. In fact, it can be seen in just about any sort of media. Most notably, Netflix.

Upon further inspection, Netflix doesn’t only comprise of the 20 common genres such as action, comedy, fantasy, etc., but also 76,897 unique subgenres and secret genres.

This opens up the gate to extreme niche viewership for every single Netflix member. Whether that’s someone who’s been searching for a hidden genre they haven’t viewed yet, or a 16-year-old junior in high school who still watches “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” who will remain anonymous. 

With nearly 77,000 different genres, it’s guaranteed that someone in my school is watching something on the site that’s likely pretty embarrassing. This is an absolute saving grace for most people.

Being someone who has a newfound obsession with “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir”, a show that’s blatantly made for children, I feel much more comfortable watching my favorite show during study hall or my downtime in class.

The idea of inclusivity in viewership not only makes a corporation more welcoming and seemingly open to the public but also creates a sense of comfort for just about everyone. 

The moral of the story is that I can now comfortably watch the best show in history without the fear of being harped on for it because of the mutual respect that media inclusivity creates. 

And so, I will be pridefully embracing my appreciation of “Miraculous”. If you see me in class watching it, don’t worry too much; I’m having a great time.