Module
(5) Blog Post
Red
Queens and Increasing Returns
At first, I had to determine what
the red queen had to do with technology. Through articles, I determined that
the Red Queen gets her name from the story written by Lewis Carolin. The story
is titled “Through the Looking Glass”. In this narrative, a dialogue between
the two characters, Alice and the Red Queen a question is posed by Alice in
reference to why they are not making any progress. The Red Queen replies back
to Alice stating that just to stay in the same place, you have to run as fast
as you can. It is difficult to make progress. The dialogue between these
characters is compared to the competition that takes place between emerging
technologies. The race is very hard, and the result can be that one of the
technologies lags behind in the race to fully emerge. Dr.Thornburg (2008c)
explains that the technology that falls behind is often left behind; however,
it does not mean that the one that wins is the best technology among them.
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?
The movie
that I selected was “The Minority Report” starring Tom Cruise. Fortunately, I
have an old collection of movies as well as a new collection. I actually had
the video on an old VHS and my DVD player plays both VHS and DVD movies. However,
I have become a fan of Netflix because it is the cheaper way to go.
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.
Yes, the way
that we watch movies is an example of Red Queens. There continues to be a
competition between how movies are presented for some time. The example, it
cost more to go to Walmart or any order retail store to buy a DVD than it does
to download the movie using Netflix (another source). Economic hardships that
are being endured in our society is causing people to become more and more
money conscience. The cost of DVDs is going to be a considering factor in the
distinction of DVDs.
Where do
you think DVDs and video-on-demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan’s
tetrad?
It is
apparent that VHS is completely obsolete even though I still have a collection.
I think that both DVDs and video-on-demand has caused VHS to become obsolete.
My guess would be that video-on-demand will overtake DVDs and make them
obsolete in the near future.
Reference:
Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
