Read Text | and answer questions 05 to 13.

Netflix is trying to prove to the world that it's all grown up

Netflix is trying to persuade Wall Street that it is now all grown up. After squeezing out millions of additional subscribers via its password sharing crackdown and through the introduction of cheaper advertiser-supported plans, the streamer knows that its growth spurts are coming to an end — and now it wants investors to stop obsessing over those pesky membership numbers and instead focus on other metrics.

"In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential. But now we're generating very substantial profit and free cash flow. We are also developing new revenue streams like advertising and our extra member feature, so memberships are just one component of our growth", Netflix told shareholders as it reported quarterly earnings.

To that end, Netflix said that it will no longer report quarterly subscriber numbers, starting in 2025. Alas, the metric that Wall Street has forever judged Netflix on — the metric that prompted legacy media companies to burn endless piles of cash in their bids to compete with the streamer — will be retired. The decision to shut off transparency on the metric represents a significant turning point in the streaming revolution. For years, Netflix has prided itself on being extraordinarily transparent. Now it is aiming to hold its cards closer to its chest. And given that streaming giant is the trendsetter in the space, one could expect that other media companies will be inspired by the company's move and also opt to cease reporting such data.

To be fair, what Netflix is saying isn't necessarily off base either. As the company shifts its business model away from subscriptions and toward advertising and other revenue streams, it makes sense to consider how much time users are spending on the service. The more content a user consumes on Netflix, the more likely they are to continue paying for the service, and the more money Netflix then makes from that single subscriber. "We're focused on revenue and operating margin as our primary financial metrics — and engagement (i.e. time spent) as our best proxy for customer satisfaction,” Netflix underscored in its letter to shareholders.

Regardless, less transparency in an already opaque industry is not ideal. The walled garden of streaming already lacks the same detailed viewership data that Nielsen collects on linear television broadcasters. Now, visibility into the streaming world will get even dimmer.

The announcement from Netflix managed to overshadow its otherwise stellar quarter. The company handily beat expectations and added a staggering 9.3 million subscribers, meaning it now boasts nearly 270 million in total. Netflix also beat analyst expectations on both earnings and revenue. However, it wasn't all good news. Netflix forecasted its subscriber growth to be lower in quarter two, chalking it up to “typical seasonality.” That led the stock to slide nearly 5% in after-hours trading.

Whether "typical seasonality” is solely to blame, or whether the streamer is simply starting to hit a ceiling, is hard to tell. Perhaps it is a mix of both. Whatever the cause, the stock sliding on the less-than-ideal outlook is a prime example of why Netflix wants Wall Street to stop focusing on its subscriber numbers. And, in one year's time, investors won't have a choice.

Adapted from: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/19/media/netflix-subscription-numbers/index.html

Read Text | and answer questions 05 to 13.

Netflix is trying to prove to the world that it's all grown up

Netflix is trying to persuade Wall Street that it is now all grown up. After squeezing out millions of additional subscribers via its password sharing crackdown and through the introduction of cheaper advertiser-supported plans, the streamer knows that its growth spurts are coming to an end — and now it wants investors to stop obsessing over those pesky membership numbers and instead focus on other metrics.

"In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential. But now we're generating very substantial profit and free cash flow. We are also developing new revenue streams like advertising and our extra member feature, so memberships are just one component of our growth", Netflix told shareholders as it reported quarterly earnings.

To that end, Netflix said that it will no longer report quarterly subscriber numbers, starting in 2025. Alas, the metric that Wall Street has forever judged Netflix on — the metric that prompted legacy media companies to burn endless piles of cash in their bids to compete with the streamer — will be retired. The decision to shut off transparency on the metric represents a significant turning point in the streaming revolution. For years, Netflix has prided itself on being extraordinarily transparent. Now it is aiming to hold its cards closer to its chest. And given that streaming giant is the trendsetter in the space, one could expect that other media companies will be inspired by the company's move and also opt to cease reporting such data.

To be fair, what Netflix is saying isn't necessarily off base either. As the company shifts its business model away from subscriptions and toward advertising and other revenue streams, it makes sense to consider how much time users are spending on the service. The more content a user consumes on Netflix, the more likely they are to continue paying for the service, and the more money Netflix then makes from that single subscriber. "We're focused on revenue and operating margin as our primary financial metrics — and engagement (i.e. time spent) as our best proxy for customer satisfaction,” Netflix underscored in its letter to shareholders.

Regardless, less transparency in an already opaque industry is not ideal. The walled garden of streaming already lacks the same detailed viewership data that Nielsen collects on linear television broadcasters. Now, visibility into the streaming world will get even dimmer.

The announcement from Netflix managed to overshadow its otherwise stellar quarter. The company handily beat expectations and added a staggering 9.3 million subscribers, meaning it now boasts nearly 270 million in total. Netflix also beat analyst expectations on both earnings and revenue. However, it wasn't all good news. Netflix forecasted its subscriber growth to be lower in quarter two, chalking it up to “typical seasonality.” That led the stock to slide nearly 5% in after-hours trading.

Whether "typical seasonality” is solely to blame, or whether the streamer is simply starting to hit a ceiling, is hard to tell. Perhaps it is a mix of both. Whatever the cause, the stock sliding on the less-than-ideal outlook is a prime example of why Netflix wants Wall Street to stop focusing on its subscriber numbers. And, in one year's time, investors won't have a choice.

Adapted from: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/19/media/netflix-subscription-numbers/index.html

Escolas do futuro são escolas 'low tech'

Materiais físicos impulsionam habilidades motoras, criatividade e imaginação

2. mai. 2024 | José Ruy Lozano

Chamou a atenção da imprensa, no ano passado, o fato de que o sistema público¹ de educação da Suécia decidiu voltar a usar livros e cadernos físicos², como material didático obrigatório, no lugar de tablets e lap tops. As razões apresentadas pelos suecos³ são várias, mas passam pela aprendizagem da leitura e pela manutenção da capacidade de concentração dos estudantes⁴. Em ambos os casos, os materiais físicos apresentam resultados muito melhores.

Os escandinavos não estão sozinhos. Já forma uma longa fileira a lista de países desenvolvidos que________ [vem/vêm] progressivamente abandonando equipamentos digitais e retornando ao papel e à caneta. As autoridades educacionais desses países baseiam-se em pesquisas científicas recorrentes, que apontam não só a melhoria do rendimento acadêmico como também o desenvolvimento mais adequado de habilidades motoras e o impulso à criatividade e à imaginação, sempre mais bem estimuladas pelo uso de materiais físicos nas escolas.

Não há que se imaginar a escola contemporânea totalmente desconectada do mundo digital. Evidentemente, salas de aulas com computador e conexão à internet, que permitam a exibição de materiais visuais diversos, além de espaços com equipamentos digitais para pesquisa online, mostram-se indispensáveis no mundo de hoje. A tecnologia digital, no entanto, não é fetiche ou panaceia. Ela não só não é capaz de solucionar problemas, como, por vezes, termina por ampliá-los.

Jonathan Haidt, professor da Universidade de Nova York, publicou dados alarmantes em seu novo livro, "The Anxious Generation" ("A Geração Ansiosa”), que aborda a deterioração da saúde mental de crianças e adolescentes a partir de 2010. Quadros de depressão, ansiedade, automutilação e suicídio ________ [tem/têm] aumentado dramaticamente desde então. Não à toa, é justamente a partir de 2010 que se dá a generalização do uso das redes sociais, notadamente o Instagram, difundindo-se entre os mais jovens.

Ao largo das pressões negativas do mundo virtual, que captura a atenção dos mais jovens, corrói sua capacidade de concentração e os transforma em objetos manipulados por algoritmos, educadores _________ [tem/têm] reiterado a necessidade da redescoberta das relações de proximidade e do mundo físico. Nas mais renomadas escolas do Vale do Silício, na Califórnia, onde estudam os filhos dos executivos das grandes corporações mundiais de tecnologia, há poucas telas de LED e muitas ferramentas. No lugar do computador, lápis e caneta, mas também martelo, chave de fenda, pincel. A educação "mão na massa", com objetos e materiais físicos, predomina em relação a dispositivos eletrônicos.

Diante da revolução representada pelo Big Data e pelas inteligências artificiais, devemos nos manter firmes como educadores que visam produzir conhecimento, não apenas reproduzir o que está armazenado nas bases de dados de governos e de empresas. Afinal, a educação não é apenas dar acesso a informações, mas principalmente fazer refletir e questionar a partir das informações que acessamos.

José Ruy Lozano - Sociólogo e educador, é autor de livros didáticos e membro da Comunidade Reinventando a Educação (Core).

LOZANO, José Ruy. Escolas do futuro são escolas 'low tech', Folha de São Paulo, 02 de maio de 2024. Disponível em: https://www folha.uol.com.br/opiniao/2024/05/escolas-do-futuro-sao-escolas-low-tech.shtml. Acesso em: 05 mai. 2024. Adaptado.