It should be no surprise that Netflix, a company that almost single-handedly disrupted two powerful industries, is a fan of change. However, one of the company’s biggest and most recent changes has been met with overwhelming frustration. In April, Netflix replaced it’s five-star rating system with a thumbs-up, thumbs-down system, and the internet has not let it go.

In March it was announced that Netflix would be switching ratings systems, but the change didn’t take place until a month later. The first week of the change was met with a large amount of internet outrage, primarily on Reddit and Twitter, which we covered in-depth. However, as the weeks have progressed, large swatches of angry accounts haven’t been able to change a major company’s mind (shocking!), and the rating system has remained. It’s been a couple of months, so it’s time for an update. Why did Netflix change its ratings system in the first place? Why are people so mad? And is this new system really as bad as people are making it out to be?

What’s the difference between the new system and the old system?

It all comes down to stars versus thumbs. The old rating system employed a five-star rating system, with the highest rating being five stars. Based on how you scored different shows or movies, Netflix’s algorithm would use your one to five star scores to predict how you would rate other titles. From there, it would recommend the higher projected titles (the threes, fours, and fives), and hide its lower-ranking titles.

The new thumbs-up, thumbs-down system is essentially a binary version of the old system. Instead of a ratings system that ranged from “Loved it” to “Hated it” and included more neutral options such as “Liked it,” the new system only gives you two options — good or bad. Much like the old system, the new one then uses an algorithm to translate your thumbs-up, thumbs-down ratings into percentages that reflect how much a title should match your tastes.

The main reason users dislike this new ratings system is because it eliminates any scoring nuance. Users no longer have an option if they sort of liked a movie or thought a show was an adequate background binge but not a must watch. In the current system, a series you sort of like can now be given the same rating weight as your favorite movie of all time. This has led to recommendations that are far less personal. Also, this new rating system leaves many titles unrated, an inconsistency that can be frustrating when you’re looking for something new to watch.

Why was the five-star system replaced in the first place?

There’s a couple of reasons for this change. The reason Netflix initially gave had to do with keeping up with the times. In a current tech climate that’s dominated by binary selection apps (Tinder, Grindr, and Bumble anyone?), switching to a “Stream it” or “Skip it” model made sense. However, in an interview with Business Insider, Netflix representative Cameron Johnson revealed the shift also had to do with a communication issue.

Netflix’s star system always allowed users to rank movies and shows for their personal use, and the ratings the streaming service gave reflected how Netflix thought an individual user would rank a show or movie. These rankings didn’t, as many people thought, reflect the Netflix community’s overall consensus of a title. In short, it was a personal scoring system instead of an aggregated one. “That’s not the way people are used to using star ratings on e-commerce ratings” Johnson said, mentioning that on sites like Amazon, star systems reflect community ratings. “People don’t intuitively think about it [Netflix’s] way.”

Decider Weighs In: Is the new rating system really that bad?

Because we work for a site that exclusively covers streaming culture, team Decider spends a lot of time on Netflix. As far as unofficial critics go, we’re it. Of the nine Decider members who use Netflix on a regular basis, six had negative things to say about the new ratings system. (That number jumps to seven if you count yours truly.) Those criticisms ranged from borderline neutral, leaning toward negative, like Conrad Doucette’s answer:

To more impassioned criticisms of the ratings change. Brett White admitted he never understood Netflix’s original five star system but added “I AM FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED TO ALL BINARY THUMBS UP/THUMBS DOWN RATINGS! I feel VERY passionate about that.” Lea Palmieri said that she in no way trusted the new system, questioning why the recommendation percentage didn’t go below 50 percent. Brian Maxwell Mann and Dillen Phelps both summed up their feelings with “It stinks” images. Jade Budowski stuck with a more straightforward example in her criticism:

Lea also weighed in a couple more times:

Both Josh Sorokach and Joe Reid were more neutral about the change, and Meghan O’Keefe admitted that she doesn’t watch Netflix as much as she used to. Only Karen Kemmerle, Decider’s social media editor, had nice things to say about the change:

If we’re going to use Netflix’s own rating system, the change would generously get a 30 percent recommendation from Decider.

The Internet Weighs In: Is the new rating system really that bad?

It doesn’t take much effort to find new social posts complaining about the altered ratings system. A cursory search of the phrase “netflix ratings” in Twitter found several angry tweets about the change that were posted in the last week. Likewise, streaming-focused subreddits like r/television and r/Netflix are regularly flooded with complaints about the new rating system. Speculation about this change has even led to some conspiracy theories.

Some have claimed that Netflix only changed its rating system so the company could replace the one-star rating on Amy Schumer: Leather Special to a high recommendation percentage. Of course, the idea that Netflix would invest so much time, money, and energy into changing the reputation of one of its many, many stand-up specials is absurd. But as internet trends go, you haven’t really made it until there’s an outlandish conspiracy theory about you. This Reddit theory speaks more to how popular it’s become to speculate about Netflix’s changed rating system.

There is some math that may back up the claim Netflix’s new ratings system is worse than its five-star system. The Reddit user ForLackOfAUserName compiled the star ratings and corresponding percentages for several titles in their library. Through a series of three graphs, the user was able to show that Netflix’s new system is a marginally worse prediction system than the five-star system. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt. This is all based on one user’s personal reporting and therefore could be open to error or bias. However, anyone who painstakingly compiles data on over 100 Netflix titles for a subreddit probably isn’t lying.

Does any of this matter?

It feels safe to say with relative certainty that Netflix’s new rating system is worse than its five-star system, both empirically and through word-of-mouth. As true as that statement may be or feel, it likely doesn’t matter. Netflix has invested a lot of resources into changing its ratings system, and, as with most sources of online outrage, this is a story that has lost momentum with time. While you can easily find forums filled with people complaining about the new system, these posts are becoming less frequent. Even the most diehard lover of the old system has started to come around to the streaming service’s change.

Also, as annoying as this change is to the dedicated Netflix user, it’s one a casual user likely won’t notice. Most users will probably see that something has a 90 percent recommendation for them and click, never wondering if there’s a better recommendation option out there. Netflix’s five-star system will likely be lost in the internet graveyard of outdated ideas along with song selections for your Myspace page and AIM statues.

Me? I’ll be avoiding Last Man Standing because despite what Netflix thinks, it is not a 92 percent match.