Netflix Is Having a Ball With 3 Body Problem’s “You Are Bugs” Moment
Why does Netflix mean by its "You Are Bugs" message? Those who have seen 3 Body Problem can tell you.
This article contains spoilers for 3 Body Problem through episode 5.
Generally speaking, we don’t cover advertising campaigns here at Den of Geek. Streamers and studios have plenty of resources when it comes to audience development and they don’t need our help. Sometimes, however, a marketing push is so charming and whimsical that it demands at least some attention. Such is the case with Netflix‘s latest efforts to promote its sci-fi series 3 Body Problem.
If you’ve dropped by any of Netflix’s social media accounts of late, you may have noticed that something appears a little … off. Over on Twitter (supposedly now called X but not really), the streamer’s bio, cover photo, and pinned tweet all read “YOU ARE BUGS” over and over again:
Netflix’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts all have “YOU ARE BUGS” displayed to some extent as well. And that’s just the beginning of this beautifully deranged marketing push. Netflix sprung for the Sphere in Las Vegas to spit out “YOU ARE BUGS” in a variety of languages.
My personal favorite bit, however, is that the “Inside Episode 5” featurette on the Netflix: Behind the Streams YouTube account has been replaced with a corrupted imposter. Watch below as 3 Body Problem showrunners D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo have their thoughtful discussion of the episode interrupted by a familiar message.
Extra points on this one for cutting out right as Weiss says “I think at this point, most people have sussed out … ” Also: if you want to see the actual Inside Episode 5 featurette, you can find it over here.
Folks who have seen at least five episodes of 3 Body Problem know what moment Netflix’s marketing team is teeing up on. The episode, which also just happens to feature one of the most creative action sequences in some time, ends with a dire dispatch from the alien race known as the San-Ti. Having just discovered the disquieting fact that human beings are capable of deception (the San-Ti themselves are not, communicating every thought telepathically), the aliens have opted for intimidation and subjugation rather than cooperation.
Using their proton-sized supercomputer known as a “sophon,” the San-Ti hijack all communication systems on Earth to tell us what they really think of us. We are bugs. And therefore they will have no problem squashing us when they arrive 400 years from now.
As you might imagine, humanity’s first contact with alien life coming in the form of a death threat is pretty heavy stuff for the planet to process. And the show does an excellent job of capturing just how frightening it all is. The fact that the San-Ti use our own mass communication tech against us also provided Netflix with quite an opportunity.
Ever since Orson Welles first terrified the country with his War of the Worlds radio broadcast, people have understood that media itself is a useful tool for meta promotion. No media organization can capture the all-consuming terror of aliens hijacking our means of mass communication. Due to its sheer size, creativity, and admirable commitment to the bit, however, Netflix can at least capture some of that fear. And kudos to them for going for it.
All eight episodes of 3 Body Problem are available to stream on Netflix now.
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TV Editor at Den of Geek and Television Critics Association member. Based in Cleveland, Ohio. Very upset about various sporting events.