Module 5

Increasing Returns and Red Queens

When choosing a movie based on a Philip K. Dick book for our recent assignment without hesitation I turned to Netflix for an informed decision as a basis for my viewing pleasure.  I needed to first do some research on the movie selection, not having had a strong desire to watch science fiction movies in the past, as none of the titles immediately drew my interest.  That being said the decision to select a movie from within the Netflix library was one of ease of use and monetary outcomes.  I already pay for a subscription with Netflix, enjoy the service it provides, and had no desire to purchase a movie for my personal collection until I knew that I would want to view the selection numerous times.  In the end I watched “Paycheck” through Netflix’s watch instantly option and made an attempt to watch “Next” on DVD but lost interest and sent it back immediately.

Dr. Thornburg defines Increasing Returns as two competing innovations that hit the market at the same time and only one is accepted, forcing the other to the curb. (Laureate, n.d.a) Currently the competition between the DVDs and the Video On Demand (VOD)  have yet to manage to knock each other off the podium, so for the time being this competition can be defined as a Red Queen.  A Red Queen, as explained by David Thornburg, is in reference to Lewis Carroll’s book “Through the Looking Glass” where it is explained to Alice that she needs to run as fast as she can just to stay in place. (Laureate, n.d.b)  Netflix and Redbox are examples of a Red Queens.  Both companies provide customers with inexpensive ways to view DVDs at home for a small fee and choice option for how long they choose to keep the selection.  The time will come, soon I believe, that consumers will no longer desire DVDs and only watch movies through the internet or wireless devices that send the selections directly to our televisions.  So many newer TVs already have the capability to connect to services like Netflix and Amazon that it is only inevitable that we would want to discontinue the use of an item like the DVD that can break and scratch for something more reliable and instantaneous like VOD or streaming videos.

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.a). Increasing returns [Podcast] featuring Dr. David Thornburg.

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.b). Red queens [Podcast] featuring Dr. David Thornburg.

Plastic and Plush: Designer Toys News and Reviews (2010) Review the red queen of tcf. (Clipart) Retrieved from http://plasticandplush.com/2010/07/review-the-red-queen-tcf.html

Stash Space.Com (2010) Copy dvd to dvd. (Clipart) Retrieved from http://www.stashspace.com/video-transfer/dvd-to-dvd.stm