EOTO 1: What Did I Learn?

Technology is always changing and improving. It does this in ways we never even would have imagined. Innovations start off with one goal in mind and next thing you know, it's being used for a million other things. This is extremely evident with Netflix. Netflix was originally supposed to be something completely different than what we know today. 

Netflix was created by entrepreneurs, Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings in 1997. It originated in Scotts Valley, California. The intended use for Netflix was a DVD rental service. You could go online to their website, browse through their selection, and choose whichever one you desired. After making your choice, you would be shipped the DVD. You could keep it for as long as you liked, but wouldn't be able to order another one until you returned the one already in your possession. This was how Netflix operated for a long time and it worked ok for them, but the creators knew they could make it even better for their consumers. 

Since then, Netflix has expanded its reach significantly. It no longer accommodates DVD rentals. The service now requires an account with a purchased membership to watch the tv shows, movies, and documentaries they offer. Netflix has completely changed the game regarding online streaming. The online streaming aspect of their business was released in 2007. Two years later, Netflix partnered with multiple consumer electronics to make their product even more accessible to the public so that they could watch Netflix on more than just their computer. You could now watch it on things like your Xbox.

I remember first seeing Netflix DVD rental commercials a long time ago. I thought they were a waste of time and money. It was so much more difficult to order and wait for one when you could just order a movie on demand on the tv or go to your local Redbox outside a drugstore. I didn't think much of it until they released it as a streaming platform. It took my family a little bit longer to download Netflix, but, honestly, we can't imagine life without it. It's how we primarily watch tv now. It's crazy to see how something I viewed as insignificant and superfluous has now become such an influential and essential part of my everyday life and the lives of millions of people around the world.