Module 5 -Red Queens
and Increasing Returns
Thornburg (2009) noted in Red Queens and Increasing Return that “an
increasing return is when two technologies come out and one clearly takes over
the other and eventually forcing one out. This author defined this phenomenon
as one that notes two technologies competing for the market share by making
improvements to maintains its edge on the competition.
When you decided to obtain a DVD
for your science fiction assignment in Module 4, where did you go to find a movie
based on a Philip K. Dick book? Did you rent or purchase a DVD, or did you view
it digitally on your computer using Netflix or a similar vendor of
video-on-demand?
Netflix was the best option due to
convenience and price. Other considerations are the ability to record and
replay.
Is the current competition
between DVDs and video-on-demand an example of increasing returns or Red Queens ?
Justify your response with sound reasoning and specific examples.
Cited by Thornburg (2009),
competitors for market dominance experience the example of Red Queens when
similar innovations become public offerings simultaneously. Video on demand
(Netflix) and Blockbuster stores (DVD or Blueray technology) tend to compete
for the consumer’s video recreational dollar VOD sales are gradually overtaking DVD sales via increased marketing
tactics and appealing to the trend in convenience and affordability. A similar
experience occurred in the recent past with the passe use of VCR tapes and
non-digital multimedia.
Where do you think DVDs and
video-on-demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan’s tetrad?
McLuhan’s (1988) tetrad poses:
- What does any artifact enlarge or enhance?
- What does it erode or obsolesce?
- What does it retrieve that had been earlier obsolesced?
- What does it reverse or flip into when pushed to the limits of its potential?
DVD
technology most likely is doomed to fall into the obseletion sector on
McLulun’s tetrad due to slow sales and the convenience of offerings such as
Netflix. While DVD vendors appear in gas stations or grocery stores, consumers
often seek the solitude and ease of purchase from the home laptop versus
standing in lines and the expense of travel to rental stores. VOD technology is
enhanced and rekindled as the ease of downloading brings more family and
friends together under more desirable conditions. Leisure and recreational time
has fallen under more austere planning and strategic actions as this generation
strives to meet both economic and social challenges. Rekindled opportunities
for Saturday night family time lingers for those that choose to grasp the
concept of staying home to become reacquainted with each other and recuperate
from the weekly grind.
McLuhan, M., & McLuhan, E.
(1988). Laws of media: The new science. Toronto :
University of Toronto
Thornburg, D.
D.
You make a good point that VOD is more convenient and less expensive than the purchase of DVDs.Some day our computers may house our cluttered DVD collections. I can also see a potential of a Red Queen situation between the many companies now offering VOD, from subscription websites such as Netflix where the cost of movies could be only pennies when broken down and utilized monthly to the one time charge purchase for each movie as offered by Amazon as an immediate download, Hulu and even Walmart are other contenders just to mention a few.
ReplyDeleteCJ,
ReplyDeleteI concur; next options may include archiving volumes of videos in a library form where one can select at one's leisure. So many movies......so little time.
David
David,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post and whole-heartedly agree about the dwindling Saturday night family time. It is nice for us to have the options of VOD, Netflix and even DVD for family gathering time.
To expand on your discussion with Candice, I believe the creation of an online video sharing library would be affordable for members to upload movies into a collection of genre's and we could have access to each other's movies/shows...etc. Does this exist in some form already?
Thanks,
Diane
Diane, most sites offer family video or personal sharing options; once codex and copyright issues loosen, I suspect this is the next step as the market will obselesce the local cinema; in light of recent shootings (sadly) fear will reduce headcount at cinemas; yet, the demand for entertainment and safety prevail. Thus, demand will be met by savy suppliers to bring the widescreen to your safe home (and frig). Snuggle up for a night in..........David
ReplyDeleteDavid,
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember the last movie I went to in the theater. --I take that back, I went on my birthday in March. I had not been to the movies in years and saw a commercial on TV for the movie Silent House. I love scary movies and thought this would be so much better on a big screen. Well, I was wrong. The movie was horrible and I was so disappointed that I had spent the money on the tickets, popcorn, candy- of course you have to have all of the trimmings to experience the full effect... I digress.
The fact that it isn't safe to go to a movie theater makes me sad. I am sure there will be a period of time that people will be afraid to go, but theaters will bounce back just as airlines did after 9/11.
Diane