Contingent Discoverability: Understanding Platform Guidance and User Autonomy on Streaming Services
Published online on January 17, 2026
Abstract
Television & New Media, Volume 27, Issue 5, Page 489-508, July 2026.
This study challenges dominant assumptions that user autonomy on streaming platforms is largely overridden by algorithmic systems. Based on a national survey (N= 1,501), we identify three distinct modes of discoverability, browsing, searching, and ...
This study challenges dominant assumptions that user autonomy on streaming platforms is largely overridden by algorithmic systems. Based on a national survey (N= 1,501), we identify three distinct modes of discoverability, browsing, searching, and ...