Diffusion is the
process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over
time among the members of a social system. The most striking feature of diffusion theory
is that, for most members of a social system, the innovation-decision depends
heavily on the innovation-decisions of the other members of the system.
The innovation-decision
is made through a cost-benefit analysis where the major obstacle is
uncertainty. People will adopt an
innovation if they believe that it will, all things considered, enhance their
utility. Each individual’s innovation-decision
is largely framed by personal characteristics, and this diversity is what makes
diffusion possible. For a successful
innovation, the adopter distributions follow a bell-shaped curve, the
derivative of the S-shaped diffusion curve, over time and approach normality.
Diffusion scholars
divide this bell-shaped curve to characterize five categories of system member
innovativeness, where innovativeness is defined as the degree to which an
individual is relatively earlier in adopting new ideas than other members of a
system. These groups are: 1) innovators,
2) early adopters, 3) early majority, 4) late majority, and 5) laggards. The personal characteristics and interaction
of these groups illuminates the aforementioned domino effect.
Successful efforts to
diffuse an innovation depend on characteristics of the situation. To eliminate a deficit of awareness of an
innovation, mass media channels are most appropriate. To change prevailing attitudes about an
innovation, it is best to persuade opinion leaders. Further, what we find is those in homophiles’
social systems are likely to frustrate change agents with their resistance to
innovation. It is only for heterophilous
social systems that pushing an innovation to the elusive tipping point is a
relatively easy thing to do.
In conclusion, researched
analysis has shown that it is an undeniable phenomenon that once understood
provides simple and valuable prescriptions for efforts in encouraging
diffusion. There seem to be many
innovations that are valuable for the masses, yet to date have resisted
diffusion. For example, we still use the
QWERTY keyboard despite the development of another keyboard that allows much
faster typing for the average user.
