When I was a postgraduate(研究生) student at the University of Oxford in the early 2000s, I interviewed for a major consulting firm. All my friends were being recruited, and I thought why not give it a shot(试一试)? Aside from the usual maths-proficiency test (how quickly can you crunch(快速运算) numbers in front of a client and look smart), I was asked about what the future of streaming could look like. I gave a long-winded(冗长啰嗦的) answer about the unintended consequences of changing how humans interact with each other when a new technology is introduced, and why this may not be in the best interests of(符合……的最大利益) health and society.
2000年代初，我还是牛津大学的研究生，去面试了一家大型咨询公司。当时我所有的朋友都在被这家公司招揽，我想，何不试一试呢？除了常规的数学能力测试（看你能多快地在客户面前算数、显得聪明），我还被问到流媒体的未来会是什么样子。我给出了一个冗长的回答，谈到新技术引入后，人类互动方式改变会带来哪些意想不到的后果，以及为什么这可能不符合健康和社会的最佳利益。
I even remember saying something like: “Can you imagine just being stuck at home(困在家里), alone, watching show after show(一集接一集) and never having to move or see any other people? Why would anyone choose that over going out to rent a DVD at a local shop, or to a movie theatre?(怎么会有人宁愿这样，也不愿出门去本地商店租张DVD，或者去电影院呢？)” You won’t be surprised to learn that I wasn’t invited for a follow-up(后续的) interview.
我甚至记得自己说过类似这样的话：“你能想象一个人被困在家里，孤零零地一集接一集地看剧，永远不必出门，也见不到任何人吗？怎么会有人宁愿这样，也不愿出门去本地商店租张DVD，或者去电影院呢？”你大概不会意外，我没有被邀请进入下一轮面试。
The partner at the consulting firm thought my answer was completely wrong. They saw the potential growth and profitability(盈利能力) of streaming – and you could say, in hindsight(事后看来), they had a point: Netflix’s global revenue continues to rise year on year(逐年、同比), reaching $12.6bn (£9.5bn) in 2026. My answer, on the other hand(另一方面), focused on its societal and health consequences.
那家咨询公司的合伙人认为我的回答完全错了。他们看到的是流媒体的增长潜力和盈利能力——事后看来，你可以说他们说得有道理：Netflix的全球营收连年攀升，2026年达到126亿美元（95亿英镑）。而我的回答，关注的则是它对社会和健康的影响。