In the mid 70’s, as a child, I remember having this video player device with these huge videotapes with poor picture and volume quality. As I grew into my teens, the tapes became smaller with better video and volume features. Then my parents got a Betamax video player, in addition to the VHS device that we had. This gives you a snapshot into the war that raged between the two systems, or as Dr. Thornburg (2013d) calls it, the force of the Red Queens. According to Dr. Thornburg (2013d), one of the competing technologies has to go, so the Betamax lost and disappeared from markets despite its superiority when it came to picture and volume quality. In the 1995, DVDs started to emerge into markets (Toshiba.co.jp, n.d.). Two hurdles faced this new technology: they were a new technology and not many people were willing to change their video players into DVD players; and the DVDs were expensive. Again, as time passed, the VHS disappeared, the DVDs became cheaper, and film companies stopped producing their movies on tapes, and replaced them with DVDs.
I think that this is an evolutionary technology, people were trying to find better ways to enjoy their movies and music without the use of cassettes and VHS tapes that lost their quality as time passes, melted if left in the heat, and often got caught in the reel of the device. DVDs became the more durable technology that people used to view their movies and record their favorite songs, in addition to save important information. In the U.S. technology is moving towards movies-on-demand because the infrastructure allows it to do so. The Internet connection is fast and consistent; electricity is available 24/7; and companies, such as Netflix, are available for streaming movies. Therefore, these two technologies, VOD and DVDs are an example of Red Queens. They are both trying to establish a place, or a niche, in the market.
This is not the case in many parts of the world. In Lebanon, for example, the Internet is very slow, and it might take us days to download one movie; we have electricity shortage and power cuts, which cause our devices to freeze and stop responding; and we have just one company that allows us to use VOD, but we have to buy its receivers. So, although these two technologies seem to be competing in the U.S., in some parts of the world the race is already being dominated by DVDs and this result will not change any time soon. The DVDs remain to be the most reliable form of entertainment for many countries around the world. Many big changes need to happen before these countries advance their technologies, and they might not have the resources to do that just yet. So placing these two technologies on the McLuhan’s Tetrad will depend on the country and the level of technological advancement it enjoys.
I think that the next technology that will follow VOD will be the immersive Ts where the viewer will be able to interact with and experience movie scenes while being immersed in the action. The viewer will be transported into the movie, where all the action is taking place for a more intense experience. By using a device, such as Google Glass, the user will become one of the characters in the film and they will be able to change scenes and scripts. There have been many times where I do not like the ending of the movie, and this used to frustrate me. The movie would be nice but the ending is not, and I would start thinking of alternative endings. With this device, I can make my ideas a reality because I will be able to change the ending to one that I like. The immersive TV would allow me to interact with the movie in ways that were thought to be impossible.
Thornburg, D. (2013d). Red queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.
Toshiba.co.jp,. Toshiba : Chronology of History. Retrieved from https://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/about/history_chronology.html
Toshiba.co.jp,. Toshiba : Chronology of History. Retrieved from https://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/about/history_chronology.html
As always, thank you for your comments.