Mark Glaser, in “Netflix Return::What We Lose (and Gain) Without Video Stores,” ponders the pluses and minuses of the demise of local video stores. Quote:
In general, I’d say that the loss of the physical store feels like a loss for the neighborhood, and a loss of the human touch. And the advantage of Netflix is that I’ll get to see more movies for my money and I’ll have more movies and TV shows to choose from.
This maps to all traditional media distribution methods, in one way or another.
We recently canceled the movie channels on our satellite TV system, figuring that Netflix was the better choice. It saves money and has more selection.
Sooner or later Netflix, too, will be supplanted by digital distribution and access. We aren’t going back, no matter how nostalgic we may be for what was. The gains are outweighing the losses for digital media.