MODULE 5-RED QUEENS AND INCREASING RETURNS

MOLDULE 5

 
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?
First, I went through my very old stash of VHS tapes and actually found the original Total Recall video. Do any of you know what a VHS tape looks like? It was a bit scratched and fuzzy, but I was able to watch it. This only made me want to see the newer version of the movie just to see how it had changed, so I found it on my Amazon Prime and did an instant download so I could watch it. I see Amazon Prime and Netflix as being part of the Increasing Returns force because I hear very little about other video-on-demand companies. I also found many of the other choices in either Amazon Prime or Netflix for instant download at very low prices.
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.
I believe the competition between DVD and video-on-demand is an example of Red Queens. Dr Thornburg (2009) stated that Red Queens are two technologies that share the same market and compete with one another to stay ahead. DVD has become available in the Red Boxes at many convenient locations, making it cheaper and more accessible to rent a movie, but you do have to pay as you go. I can hardly remember the last time I purchased a DVD, but I think they are probably still something many parents use for younger children who tend to watch the same movies several times, but the video-on-demand works better for many of us because we can watch movies immediately at home, on the fly, or anywhere and anytime we have a bit of free time. The low monthly prices for Amazon Prime and Netflix and other vendors like this and the convenience of the choices at your fingertips really do not look good for DVD's which normally have to be purchased at a store or ordered through the mail.
Where do you think DVDs and video-on-demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan's tetrad? .
I would say that the DVD might rekindle the VHS – at least my VHS tapes were replaced by the DVD, but the action of the purchase is still the same. Now, it appears that DVD's are being replaced by the videos-on-demand that fit the lifestyle of the 21^st century consumer.
References
Laureate (Director). (2009). Increasing Returns [Motion Picture].
Laureate (Director). (2009). Red Queens [Motion Picture].

(Comments to Petti and Sanjay on their Module 5 blogs)