Diffusion of Innovations Theory

It is seeks to explain how innovations are taken

up in a population. An innovation is an idea, behaviour, or object that

is perceived as new by its audience.

three valuable insights into the process

of social change:

This is the degree to which an innovation is

perceived as better than the idea it supersedes by a particular group

of users, measured in terms that matter to those users, like an

economic advantage, social prestige, convenience, or satisfaction.

This is the degree

to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the

values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters.

This is the degree to which an innovation

is perceived as difficult to understand and use. New ideas that are

simpler to understand are adopted more rapidly than innovations

that require the adopter to develop new skills and understandings.

This is the degree to which an innovation can be

experimented with on a limited basis. An innovation that is trialable

represents less uncertainty to the individual who is considering it.

Visible results lower uncertainty and also

stimulate peer discussion of a new idea, as friends and neighbors of

an adopter often request information about it.

is a key principle in Diffusion of Innovations. The success

of an innovation depends on how well it evolves to meet the needs of

more and more demanding and risk-averse individuals in a population

(the history of the mobile phone is a perfect example). A good way to

achieve this is to make users into partners in a continuous process of

redevelopment.

five different segments, based on their propensity to adopt a

specific innovation:

The adoption process begins with a tiny number of

visionary, imaginative innovators. They often lavish great time, energy

and creativity on developing new ideas and gadgets.