A superb analysis of recommendation in the cultural industries that is technically astute, business savvy, and uniquely engaged with larger critical debates about taste and intermediation. Mattias Frey does an outstanding job of navigating this tricky terrain. Netflix Recommends is essential reading for anyone interested in the politics and prehistories of algorithmic recommendation.--Ramon Lobato, author of Netflix Nations: The Geography of Digital Distribution An intriguing alternative to critiques of platform power that question the use of algorithmic technologies as arbiters of cultural value. Frey contributes to the ongoing debate by concluding that Netflix's discoverability and customization features avoid elitist taste cultures long associated with traditional arts curation after an extensive survey of more than two thousand users.--Denise Mann, author of Hollywood Independents: The Postwar Talent Takeover
