Just Let Me Take a Screenshot

Netflix Moments is a new feature people will use, but that doesn't make it good.

A screenshot of Seinfeld, “The Pitch,” from Netflix.

Netflix is finally going to let you share scenes from your favorite algorithmically generated slop. Per Variety, the streamer is rolling out “Moments,” a feature on the mobile app that allows users to save and circulate individual scenes. From the story:

With Moments, members can quickly bookmark a scene while watching on their phone, saving it directly to their My Netflix tab for easy access later. Members can also share their favorite scenes across platforms like Instagram and Facebook, creating a seamless way to engage with their favorite content and share it with friends. We’re excited to add even more features in the future to help members enjoy and share their favorite Netflix moments.

Fine, great. People want to bookmark and share their favorite moments on social media. There’s already an accepted method for such activity: taking a screenshot. By my estimate, 35 percent of all human communication involves screenshots. They’re (generally) easy to take and even easier to share.

Unless you’re using a video streaming service. Netflix, Disney+, Max, and other major streamers prohibit users from screengrabbing across all devices on copyright grounds. I’m sympathetic to a “slippery slope” argument about how screenshots lead to screen captures which lead to full rips of episodes or films. We all know, however, that the existing policies don’t prevent piracy. They don’t even prevent screenshots for those who want to find a workaround.

I took a screenshot of this Moment.

But only a small percentage of the streaming population will take those measures. The rest of us would be perfectly happy screenshotting access to share funny moments in our group chats and Instagram stories. Netflix Moments will finally let that happen, but it will be a clunkier and more annoying process. Moments is the perfect kind of tech company “product.” The company has long prohibited a simple and harmless action that it will now grant us access to with a capitalized name and a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. The next quarterly report will excitedly proclaim that a series you’ve never heard of created “14 million Moments.” There’s a non-zero chance that Netflix turns Moment into a verb. You’ve heard of screenshotting. Now we’re living in the future and momenting.