In the past, people relied on encyclopedias and newspapers to learn about various topics. Because of the technological advances within the past few decades, media production, like movies, has become another way to discover new information. 

Many films have an underlying message that helps to develop the plot of the story. The depiction of that message is what can impact the people who watch it. 

English teacher Katy Amirtash has discovered that while some shows may have misinformation, that should not keep people from using media as a newfound resource. 

“Just as bad as [movies] with negative [messages] are, the good ones are equally beneficial,” Amirtash said. “So there’s a lot of ways that you can get good information, and movies could be one of them.” 

In 1997, Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings founded Netflix. It started as a movie rental company, but in 2007 it became an official streaming service.

“Netflix offers a whole set of movies to stream for free as long as you pay for the trial. It’s one of the most famous streaming services,” junior London Salas said.

No matter the genre of movie people are interested in, many have found one that interests them. 

The movie Get On Up was a comical documentary about the soul singer, James Brown. In the film, Chadwick Boseman portrayed his unique character and lifestyle.

“While watching the movie [Get On Up], I noticed that James Brown was a very cocky person, but he knew his worth,” junior Peyton Gilliam said. “He knew that he could do so much more during the era that he had started music. And from watching this movie, I learned to really emphasize my self-worth, no matter what.” 

Not only can people learn a lesson from movies, but they can also understand global or national issues. Because of the various genres that streaming services offer, people can still find family-friendly movies that portray important topics.

“Well, I have many favorite movies, but one of them is perhaps the Bee Movie,” Salas said. “It’s a very interesting movie about a bee that becomes a lawyer and protests against injustice and exploitation. So it deals with a very serious topic, but in a unique way with bees.” 

Even though people may have their comfort genre, many have realized that branching out is equally important.

“I think the pros to having streaming services are that people can be exposed to new stories and different perspectives, which is the beauty of vision, to me,” Gilliam said. “The beauty of vision is that there are things that you can’t see beyond your own point of view. Vision gives access to different dimensions, allowing those who choose to see things differently to open their minds to new truths and discoveries.”