For a long time, I’ve been holding back my thoughts on a problem that many deal with daily: logging in. 

I watch a lot of movies in my free time. Many of those movies are housed across many streaming platforms.

It’s already hard to figure out what I want to watch next, so now imagine how I feel when I pick something out just for the streaming service to tell me that I’m logged out.

I absolutely hate having to figure out how to properly sign back into one of my various streaming accounts. 

Most of the time I don’t even make an attempt to log in, because the anger that I feel from not still being logged in consumes me. I often just leave the app and go over to another streaming platform that isn’t asking me to log in.

Netflix has me doing this often. And they aren’t even asking me to log in most of the time. Inside they want a verification code that is trying to link me into a Netflix household.

I know that these services are trying to crack down on password sharing, but this is ridiculous. You, Netflix, know I have been using this TV to watch stuff for years. 

I am not going to pay you anymore money just to leave me alone. 

From the tech side, one of the most frustrating things is when you are using a TV instead of a computer. Having to use a basic television remote to type is probably the most annoying thing. 

I wish physical keyboard access was more of the norm for TVs in this day-in-age as it would streamline these problems a lot more.

Figuring out how to navigate the controller keyboard configuration using the arrow keys draws the entire process out to the point where I contemplate my willingness to even log in.

Now sure my impatience might be getting the better of me in many of these situations. But I stand firm when I say, as a customer, that if I’m paying for something, the service provider should not block me from accessing it.

And It’s not like I’m logging in on multiple devices. I just logged in on my personal TV. If nothing has changed with my account or my TV, then my permission to access should not have to be tested by relogging in.  

Streaming services aren’t the only things that have a randomly high amount of security. Recently I had to update my password for my EIU Panthermail. Imagine my surprise when I had to change my perfectly good eight digit password for a password that’s 14 digits long. 

My jaw dropped when I saw this new requirement. It’s like they are trying to make me come up with something that I’m going to forget. With Eastern already making me change my password every semester, I’m glad this is going to be my last time having to update it. 

But big shoutouts to platforms like Tubi or Pluto TV that don’t need you to log in or even pay to use their streaming platform. I respect not having to prove who I am just to watch “Full House.”

I get that people want security, but it’s becoming a nuisance. Heck, even voting in the state of Illinois is less time consuming and identity identifying than having to log into Netflix. 

Mainstream streaming platforms, take my advice when I say make your platform as easy to use as possible.

Stop using security as the backbone of blocking people from content. It’s starting to feel more predatory than to actually keep me safe. 

Gunnar Olson can be reached at 581-2812 or at deneic@gmail.com.