>But what's a "recommender system"? Are my friends and family who understand my tastes at a deeper level than an algorithm not a "recommender system"?

Not really. "Recommender system" has a pretty narrow technical definition. It's an automated system that takes input from the user (clicks, watch time, ratings, etc.) and produces a list of recommendations.

Maybe what you don't like is the average user's preferences. People seem to like being told what to watch. If there's demand for a streaming service that dispenses with recommendations, then someone should be able to make a lot of money building it.

Yeah, sure, that very narrow technical definition does exist, but it doesn't have exclusive ownership of the concept, and broader social definitions also exist. Why should we limit ourselves to thinking about it so narrowly? Must an algorithmic problem require an algorithmic solution?