Photo: Netflix
The ‘Squid Game’ effect

Good morning! This Thursday, "Squid Game" goes viral, GitLab goes public, and Amazon finally finds success with New World.
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The most popular piece of entertainment in the world right now is a South Korean dystopian series about income inequality. That says as much about the state of global society as it does about Netflix, which bankrolled the program and then convinced more than half of its 209 million subscribers to check it out in its first month.
We're talking, of course, about "Squid Game," writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk's survival drama first conceived in 2008 but deemed too unsavory until it landed in front of Netflix a decade later. Released on Sept. 17, Squid Game is now the most popular series in the platform's history, No. 1 in 94 countries around the world and, as of this week, the most popular debut of any show on Netflix with more than 111 million viewers so far.
"Squid Game" is forcing us to rethink what it means to go viral. Plenty of Netflix shows have become viral sensations in record time; "Stranger Things," "Bridgerton" and "The Witcher" all broke through past viewership ceilings at the time of release. But "Squid Game" is an altogether different beast.
Netflix has been playing the long game with K-drama for years now, and the mind-boggling popularity of "Squid Game" has reinforced the platform's global content strategy. Even Jeff Bezos felt compelled to praise the show in a tweet earlier this month, calling its success "impressive and inspiring."
The viral recipe of "Squid Game" is nothing short of perfect. The show blends a classic dystopian tale steeped in Asian "battle royale" genre media with modern aesthetics and social commentary. In retrospect, it's no wonder it's taken over the world.
"Squid Game" won't be the last show to completely capture the global zeitgeist. But the sheer speed and scope of its virality is a reminder that entertainment today has no borders or language barriers. It just needs a platform and viewers ready and willing to go along for a ride, even one they don't recognize, so long as Netflix has given it its stamp of approval.
— Nick Statt (email | twitter)
A version of this story first appeared on Protocol.com. Read it here.The new benefits package
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