One of the most popular apps/sites that is used for our viewing entertainment is Netflix. I first learned about Netflix through some small advertising they did with the junk mail ads that you get occasionally. I was intrigued so I gave it a shot.
A little early history about Netflix is it was founded in 1997 (McFadden, 2020). Their original business model was to sign up for their subscription base rent movies by mail. They would have different pricing plans on how many different movies you would be able to rent per month. During this time, the only way you could rent movies was to go to a movie rental place. Blockbuster was probably the biggest movie rental store. By 2002, Netflix went public, where you would be able to purchase stock from them (McFadden, 2020). I currently see myself at stage five confirmation with Netflix. Me and my family watch Netflix all the time and had their service for a while.
2002 is also around the time I signed up for a monthly membership at that time they had between 600,000 and 850,000 members (McFadden, 2020). I think during this time I would consider myself a early adopter of Netflix. Netflix has changed a bit since I’ve been a member. Although they still do the rental service, they are mostly known for their streaming content. To be honest, I had to google them to make sure they did the movie rental service still.
Another example of a that I have experience with is a Roku streaming stick. Roku Stick has been around since January 2012 Pattison , 2020). I purchased the product late in 2018, so I think I would consider myself a late majority in the adopter category (2020). Although I did use other ways to watch streaming mostly through my gaming console. When I purchased the Roku stick, I felt it was a better product and wished I purchased one earlier than I did.
References
Diffusion of innovations. (2020, December 31). Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations#Elements_of_diffusion_of_innovations
McFadden, C. (2020, July 4). The Fascinating History of Netflix. Interesting Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/the-fascinating-history-of-netflix#:~:text=Netflix%20was%20first%20founded%20in,purely%20a%20movie%20rental%20service.
Sandra Pattison. (2020, December 15). When Did Roku Come Out? Roku’s History: 2002 to 2021. Cloudwards. https://www.cloudwards.net/when-did-roku-come-out/.
I had to read your post when I saw it was about Netflix. I was an early adopter as well. I remember getting my DVDs in the mail and how exciting it was. It’s crazy to think about how different it is now with so many movies and shows at our fingertips. I had no idea they still send movies through the mail. Thanks for Googling!
Netflix is a very interesting business, I remember the whole getting your DVDs in the mail commercials. But many did not realize that Netflix stomped Blockbuster out of business. I have listened to a few podcasts along with articles on how Netflix was just a small fish compared to Blockbuster. But with just a few simple tricks like mailing DVDs and different membership plans. Netflix was beginning to be the front runner in the home entertainment business. Now it has algorithms that tell you what to watch. I have enjoyed Netflix off and on for a lot of years but, now I feel it is more of a time waster when the semester’s kick-off. Sadly I have to cancel my membership to keep from getting sidetracked. It is amazing the amount of hold Netflix can have on a person. Who would have thought this would be the future.
For me, Netflix is an example of the ups and downs of adoption. Of course, its DVD by mail service was different from its streaming innovation. Though both are offered by the same company.
I actually quit Netflix a few months/ years after it began streaming. As a film buff, I had packed my DVD list with a bunch of art flicks I never was that excited to watch when I got them in the mail. And, when we tried streaming, our internet connection was way too slow.
A few years later, internet technology caught up and the streaming innovation was viable again. Netflix is one service we stick with no matter what. Our other streaming services I like to review each month to ensure we are utilizing them.