[ecrea] Call for Chapters: Edited Collection on Netflix; 8/29/14

Call for Chapters: A Netflix Reader: Critical Essays on Streaming Media, 
Digital Delivery, and Instant Access, an edited collection on the 
cultural impact of Netflix; currently under contract with McFarland

Editors: Myc Wiatrowski and Cory Barker, Indiana University

When Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph launched Netflix in 1997, they 
could not have predicted that their company would eventually be the 
catalyst for a number of shifts in media production, distribution, and 
consumption. What began as a way to subvert egregious late fees charged 
by video store chains like Blockbuster has grown into a digital 
distribution behemoth. Netflix and its approximately 31 million 
subscribers are now responsible for more than a third of all downstream 
Internet traffic in North America. Netflix’s practices have directly 
affected distribution models for film and television, changing not only 
what we watch, but also how and when we watch it. The popularity and 
ubiquity of its service has had a dramatic impact on technological 
developments, necessitating new, Netflix-ready devices and platforms. 
Recently, Netflix has been at the center of public policy debates, 
particularly those regarding net neutrality. Yet, despite these very 
real and noticeable impressions on American culture, very little has 
been written about Netflix in critical and academic circles. This 
collection of essays seeks to rectify this academic blind spot and 
examine Netflix from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

• Netflix’s impact on the broadcast television paradigm
• The role of Netflix in debates on net neutrality
• How Netflix has altered or highlights patterns of media consumption in 
individuals and groups (including binge watching)
• Netflix’s influence on technological developments
• How Netflix’s success has created market competition (Amazon Prime, 
Hulu+, etc.)
• Explorations of Netflix’s business failures (e.g. Qwickster)
• Explorations of Netflix’s expansion into international markets
• Analyses of Netflix original programming
• Fan responses to Netflix programming and/or campaigns to relaunch 
failed network programs

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is *August 29, 2014*. Please 
email your abstract and a short biography or CV as Word docs to 
(Netflix.Book /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(Netflix.Book /at/ gmail.com)>. The subject line 
should contain the writ-er’s surname followed by “Netflix Abstract” 
(e.g. Wiatrowski Netflix Abstract).

For selected abstracts, full essays of 6,000-9,000 words (inclusive of 
citations and endnotes) will be due December 19, 2014.

--
Cory Barker
Graduate Student
Department of Communication and Culture
Indiana University
twitter.com/corybarker <http://twitter.com/corybarker>
(765) 499-0080
(barkerc65 /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(barkerc65 /at/ gmail.com)>