Red Queens vs. Increasing Returns

When I first noticed that we had to watch a movie about technology and the future, I immediately began browsing my collection of DVD’s, because I knew I had Total Recall and Minority Report. For this assignment, I chose to watch a movie that I had not seen before, therefore I chose Next. Technology today allowed me to have several different alternatives for watching movies. I had the choice of watching Movies on Demand, renting or purchasing from a local video store, or purchasing and watching a movie online. I chose to rent this movie through my local cable company using Movie on Demand. This provided me with convenience and the ability to instantly watch this movie without having to leave home. In this market we have both increasing returns and Red Queens. DVD’s, Movie on Demand, and online movie renting are all considered to be red queens, because they all left VHS behind. Movie on Demand, online movie renting, and DVD kiosks are all increasing returns over local video rental stores. The local video stores such as Movie Gallery, Blockbuster, and Hollywood Videos are going out of business, filing for bankruptcy, and continuously closing more and more stores. The red queens in this movie industry are providing low cost, convenience, and technological advancements. I think DVD’s are becoming obsolete and Video on Demand is in the enhancement stages of the McLuhan’s tetrad.

Emmorfia

References:

Laureate Education (2009). Increasing Returns Retreived August 10, 2010 at http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5847480&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Thornburg, D.D. (2008) Emerging technologies and McLuhan's Laws of Media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornberg Center for Space Exploration.


Additional Resources:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2009-06-30-netflix-future_N.htm
http://hubpages.com/hub/movie-rental-future
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/23/the-rise-and-fall-of-blockbuster.html