The entertainment powerhouse that was once Blockbuster is a perfect example of an industry that has fallen victim to disruptive technology in our economy. Many of us can remember having a blockbuster in virtually every town. Not to say that disruptive technology is a bad thing, it just changes the current marketplace to more efficiently meet consumer demands and standards of quality. I think that we live in an age where consumers expect everything to be like Burger King, you have it your way. Businesses and industries that can adapt to consumer expectations the fastest are the survivors. Information technology has leveled the playing field while Blockbuster for whatever reason may have thought they were safe behind the walls of the of brick and mortar stores they built in every single town. Now, Blockbuster is copying Redbox’s technology with Blockbuster Express. The idea is almost identical to Redbox movie kiosks. This is reminiscent of the narrative in our textbook of Citibank’s ATM. Once they introduced the ATM to the industry, every other bank copied their technology. It is obvious that Blockbuster has gone into survival mode. One must wonder, did they move too slowly to try and catch up with new technology, or has the damage already been done? J. Ishman
