Module 5 Video on Demand vs. DVD Increasing Returns or Red Queens

The competition between DVDs and Video on Demand is one of increasing returns. Arthur (1996) defines increasing returns as the propensity for something that is ahead to continue to progress ahead while the item that is behind loses momentum. Thornburg, D. (2013) describes increasing returns as a set of innovations that may emerge at the same time in which one drives the other to extinction.  As cellphones and portable devices become smaller and more powerful media can be viewed and reviewed anywhere. There is no longer the need to be tied down to a television or other media player. Video on Demand allows for instant gratification and does not require waiting for media to be available. The only wait may be on the media to stream or download in order to be visible. As technological infrastructure becomes more widely available to larger populations of people through high speed internet access, Wi-Fi, satellites and hotspots for example video on demand gains traction and an upward momentum.

This is not to say that DVDs are a lost cause. There are still those who despite our information technology age are without internet access or in some cases computer access. In a US Census Bureau Community survey completed in 2013 83.8 % percent of households reported that they owned a computer  with 73.4% reporting a high speed internet connection and-74.4% reporting an internet subscription of some sort. (File & Camille, 2013) . While progress has been made in making access more affordable those in lower socio-economic status groups tend to be less likely to have computer or internet access. This same study found that those with an income of less than $25,000 only 62.4% owned a computer and 48.4% had internet access. I feel as if these populations will continue to utilize public borrowing institutions such as libraries and RedBox. It is to this end that I am not sure that DVDs will be completely made extinct by Video on DEmand. DVDs also are multi-functional as they allow for data storage although flash memory sticks are smaller, more durable and potentially able to obsolete that benefit.

Science fiction is my least favorite genre so the video for the last module was borrowed from the library. I saw no need to waste money on purchasing, streaming, or renting something that I would never watch or pick up again. Over time I do feel as if my media accessing tendencies have changed. I used to rent VHS movies from places such as Blockbuster. This was due in part to the fact that public libraries didn’t have video collections for lending. Now unless the movie is something that I plan to watch multiple times or is educationally beneficial I borrow media from the library.

References

Arthur, W. (1996). Increasing returns and the new world of business. Harvard Business Review, 74(4), 100-109.

File, T., & Camille, R. (2013). Computer and Internet Use in the United States:. Washington, DC: American Community Survey Reports ACS-28, U.S. Census Bureau.

Laureate Eduation (Producer). (2014). David Thornburg: Increasing returns[Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Thornburg, D. (2013). Emerging technologies and McLuhan's laws of media. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Module 4 Assignment Disruptive Technologies

     Dr. Thornburg proposes the idea that disruptive technologies disrupt what is going on in that you are on one trajectory and and something brand new pops in a sort of wild card fashion.(Laureat Education, 2014) Utilizing this definition I am not sure that Google glass is so much a disruption as it is an intrusion. One of the most prevalent areas of concern for me that cause me to look at this from this particular perspective is the issue of privacy. For me the privacy issues created by Google Glass is a grave concern. Hong(2013) argues that privacy concerns can be minimized through the hands on use of technology by the masses will which he argues will assist people to see the value  thereby encouraging acceptance and possibly different perceptions about privacy expectations.  While I understand the draw to the geek side of this device I have serious concerns about recording and posting without someones consent. If the person does not know that they are being recorded have they been given the option to say I don't want you to do this. 
     A prime example for me is a recent free course that I took at the library. One of the librarians was taking pictures for the library Facebook page and didn't tell participants when she started what the pictures were for or where they were going. One of my co-participants in the  workshop was someone with a high level security clearance that prohibited social media posting. This may be an isolated example but due to the metropolitan area in which I live with many delegates, emissaries, politicians and of course the White House and all that this entails I have to feel like this would be even more of a concern. I have also worked with people living in shelters who may have been running from abusive spouses. Without informed consent you have put these people and if they are parents their children in danger unintentionally yes but it is still a concern. Glauser(2013) presents a current barrier to implementation in the medical field that relates to this privacy concern. There is the potential for Google Glass to be used as part of electronic medical records but HIPAA laws prohibit the processing of patient medical records through third party organizations, By using the Google Glass patient information would have to pass through Google servers causing privacy concerns.  
     The applications in the field of Special Education seem endless to me when I think about some of the non ambulatory or nonverbal students that I have worked with in the past. A device that allows them to control it with a head movement could be groundbreaking. Similar to the experiences of medical practitioners discussed by Glauser (2013) the videos could be used as a training point. Sometimes I do not feel that people who work with people with disabilities realize how condescending and overbearing they are to the patients/clients/students they are working with. A video that shows them their interactions from the perspective of the receiver may help in self reflection and possible behavior modifications. 
      Google Glass displaces personal handheld or headmounted recording devices. I do not see the technology being displaced in the near future due to all the potential uses that have been found but not yet attempted. Once the immediate usage concerns and cost are addressed it may be more widely accepted.
   
References

Glauser, W. (2013). Doctors among early adopters of Google Glass.Canadian Medical Association. Journal, 185(16), 1385.
Hong, J. (2013). Considering privacy issues in the context of Google glass.Commun. ACM, 56(11), 10-11.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). David Thornburg: Disruptive technologies [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Module 3 Rhymes of History Social Sharing Media

• Family ties are precious threads, no matter where we roam,
  They draw us close to those we love, and pull our hearts toward home. Author Unknown

Rhymes of history are those things which rekindle something from the distant past.  For young people the rhyme that has been created is a sense of standing around the waterhole and sharing stories or catching up on the lives of those in your community.(Laureate Education, 2014)

I propose that Social Media sharing sites have a greater impact on the older generation of family members. Social media sharing sites such as FaceTime, YouTube and Instagram bring back a sense of togetherness and a time when the nuclear family lived in relatively close proximity to each other.   Family was historically very insular, localized, and connected. Families didn't unless they were pioneers creating new settlements move more than a few miles from each other.The lines of sharing and communication previously blurred by distance are now inconsequential.

 With a simple web camera and a social media account you can still share baby’s first steps with grandmom in another state or read a story to your child while on a business trip thousands of miles away. With sites such as Skype and FaceTime you can even live chat with grandpa. This allows for the sense of community that we seem to have lost. This also allows for in the case of children them to see their family members as live people. One of the running jokes when I was a little girl growing up in Philadelphia was that my grandmother lived in the telephone.   You see my grandparents lived in rural Maryland, and we didn’t have a car at the time so I spoke with my grandmother initially as a child predominantly by phone ergo the 2-3 year old kid logic my grandmother lived in the telephone. But now I watch as my great niece is able to FaceTime with my sister-in-law and get to know her in ways that a simple picture or story would not allow.

Another example of this was the family environment in which my mother grew up . She  only had to walk 100ft or so to see her aunts , cousins, or grandparents. To be perfectly honest until the day that my grandfather died his nieces, nephews, great nieces,  the great great nephews and one of his sons were simply a driveway away. This meant that if someone needed to check on him they could or when the family wanted/needed to join together there was a village. His being able to see the third and fourth generation of immediate and extended family grow up around him was something that he took pride in.

Now with all of us spread all over the country from Pennslyvania to Florida and west to Colorado social media sites allow us to continue to share the important moments in life with family and not feel like we are missing everything. Yes being there is better but now knowing at all is worse. 

Periscope
Instagram
YouTube
Skype
Laureate Education (Producer). (2014). David Thornburg: Rhymes of history [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.