How would you explain Netflix to a person from the 18th century?

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Kelly Fung |
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Every Wednesday we ask our Brain Game contestants one interesting, thought-provoking or just plain quirky question. Their answers will be published anonymously in Young Post. Then readers vote for their FAVOURITE answer. We will eliminate the contestant with the LEAST votes every week until we have a winner. The ultimate Brain Game winner will win Apple AirPods.

Voting closes at midnight on Sunday.

The contestants

Contestant 1

Hello! Very well done on inventing the steam engine and the locomotive, they really helped kick off the industrial revolution. I hear your century was part of “The Age of Enlightenment”, so you guys must have very scientific and rational thoughts. But here’s something from my century that I think will blow your mind!

When you are looking for entertainment, you will most likely go to watch a play at the theatre. Towards the end of 19th century, you will be introduced to something called a movie.

A movie is a moving picture made up of a series of images shown in quick flashes. Live plays can only be experienced at one time by a limited audience, but a movie or film can be viewed by several audiences around the world at the same time.

As time goes on, film productions becomes more advanced. Nowadays – that is, the 21st century – we have machines called computers that allow us to create special effects and fantastical characters like scary monsters. We also have this thing called Netflix, which allows us to enjoy an entire collection of movies from our own homes.

You might ask, how do we choose with all those choices? Well, Netflix will even recommend movies to you to suit your taste. I wish you could enjoy this new world of entertainment.

Contestant 2

Hi there! I know that there have been many inventions in your time but I’m sure you’ll be shocked when I tell you that one day people will be able to watch a range of entertaining moving pictures on a television with a service called Netflix.

Oh wait, you don’t know what television is yet! In short, Netflix is a service that you can even use on your phone (which, believe it or not, can now fit into your pocket), which allows you to watch a show (like a play on theatre, but on a screen) anytime and anywhere.

Just so you know, almost everyone owns their own phone now, and even young children use their phones for entertainment – toys are a thing of the past! Netflix offers thousands of movies on your device, so you definitely won’t get bored.

However, there is a downside to all of these benefits. A lot of people become addicted, and
end up watching shows for hours on end. Hopefully you’ve now got an idea of what Netflix is. Although you will never get to experience it in your time, there will be many more outrageous inventions in your future that will blow your mind!

Contestant 3

Hello, my dear friend. I am from the 21st century. Allow me to get you caught up on everything that’s happened so far.

The world has changed quite a bit from when you’re from. We now have flying ships that can take us around the world in no time at all. Most importantly, in most parts of the world, men and women of all races are now made equal. No matter your race, gender or background, you share the same rights as the next person.

Poverty and war still are problems in some places. But we try to keep everyone happy. Even those who do not live in war-stricken countries or earn a lot of money complain about being bored. This is why we have inventions like computers and smartphones that keep us entertained.

These devices have black faces we call “screens”, which show colourful, moving pictures. These screens can show us pictures, and moving pictures called videos. It looks like there are tiny people trapped in a box, but they are not real and cannot come out of the screen.

Now I must explain Netflix to you. Netflix is a service that allows you to watch videos about other people’s lives and adventures. You can watch these videos anywhere you like, at any time. Some of these videos are very funny, and some can be quite educational.

<a href="https://poll.fm/10345984">Which answer do you like BEST?</a>

*In case of a dispute, Young Post reserves the right to make a final decision on the result

Edited by Nicole Moraleda

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