We’ve all gotten distracted watching a movie or TV show at some point. Maybe we pick up our phone or pour a fresh cup of coffee or send an email; whatever it is, we neglect to hit pause, just letting the program continue in the background, onscreen words and actions now meaningless. But Netflix has hit on a controversial strategy that is ensuring you that you don’t miss a beat of any of their content.

In a new article published by n+1 (via World of Reel), the author reports that there is a common note that is given to writers for Netflix original content that goes like this: “Have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.” Not only is this a tremendous insult to the writers but it serves as a way to coddle...