Diffusion of Innovation

Diffusion= spread. Innovation= an idea perceived as new by an individual.

The diffusion process is the spread of a new idea from its source of creation to the adopters or
users.

Historical Background

Everett Rogers, a professor of communication studies, popularized the theory in his

book Diffusion of Innovations; the book was first published in 1962, and is now in its fifth
edition (2003).[1] Rogers argues that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is
communicated through certain channels over time among the participants in a social system.
The origins of the diffusion of innovations theory are varied and span multiple disciplines.
Rogers proposes that four main elements influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation
itself, communication channels, time, and a social system.

The concept of diffusion was first studied by the French sociologist Gabriel Tarde in late 19th
century[3] and by German and Austrian anthropologists such as Friedrich Ratzel andLeo
Frobenius.[4] The study of diffusion of innovations took off in the subfield of rural
sociology in the midwestern United States in the 1920s and 1930s.

When a message is propagated, a segment of the population adopts it, and develops a positive
attitude towards it. This can happen in the case of a product, fertilizer, seeds, ideas, journals
etc. The people who adopt first, directly or indirectly shape the positive attitude of others who
remain indifferent to the message. This is true in places where information and literacy levels
are low. Simple people would like to get information from the people living in their
proximity.

Diffusion of Innovations has been applied to numerous contexts, including medical

sociology, communications, marketing, development studies, health promotion,organizational
studies, knowledge management, and complexity studies,[7] with a particularly large impact
on the use of medicines, medical techniques, and health communications
In 1962 Everett Rogers, a professor of rural sociology, published his seminal work: Diffusion
of Innovations. Rogers synthesized research from over 508 diffusion studies across the fields
that initially influenced the theory: anthropology, early sociology, rural
sociology, education, industrial sociology and medical sociology. Using his synthesis, Rogers
produced a theory of the adoption of innovations among individuals and
organizations.[11] Diffusion of Innovations and Rogers' later books are among the most often
cited in diffusion research. His methodologies are closely followed in recent diffusion
research, even as the field has expanded into, and been influenced by, other methodological
disciplines such as social network analysis and communication.[12][13]

Model of diffusion:

The scholars have identified five distinct stages in the process of diffusion:

Awareness
Interest
Evaluation
Trial
Adoption

Awareness: At this stage, there is broad exposure to the innovation, but the individual does
not have sufficient information about the innovation.

Interest: After getting aware of the innovation, the individual shows interest in the new idea,
and makes an effort to seek additional information.

Evaluation: At the evaluation stage, the individual mentally applies the innovation to one’s
own situation, and then decides whether to try it or not.

Trial: At this stage, the individual uses the innovations on a pilot stage to decide about its
utility and relevance to one’s own situation. It was observed that most persons would not
adopt an innovation without trying it on an experimental basis.

Adoption: Here, the individual decides to continue full use of the innovation. Adoption
means the sustained use of the adoption process.

Based on the diffusion research, there is no evidence to show that all the five stages will be
visible of being strictly followed by all the adopters.
Types of adopters:

Based on the rate of adoption and the time difference between initial exposure to final
adoption, diffusion researchers have classified adopters into five distinct categories:

Innovators
Early Adopters
Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggards

Innovators: They are the most eager members of the society to try new ideas and adopt new
practices. They are enterprising and willing to take risks. Usually, they belong to the
cosmopolitan category.

Early adopters: They follow the innovators.

Early and late majority: They follow the innovators and early adopters in the adoption of a
practice.

Laggards: They are very slow in adoption. They are rigid and hard to be convinced. They
stick to the old method and resist change.

Sources of information and their relevance at different stages:

Awareness: Communication through the mass media like the print, radio, TV and film. They
are effective in drawing the attention of the individuals.
Interest: Subject experts, internet books and journals.
Evaluation: Mass media and local information sources from inside the community are the
most important at the evaluation stage.

S-shaped curve of diffusion:

Gabriel Tarde (1903), the French sociologist, was one of the first to propose the S-shaped
curve of diffusion.

The curve represents the relative speed of adoption of an innovation by the members of a
social system such as farmers living in small, well defined communities.

When the increasing percentages of adoptions were graphically plotted against time, they
formed the classic s-shaped curve. Thus, the adoption rate of innovation had a rather slow
start, and then as the early adopters started to influence the rate, there was a fairly rapid rise
again at the top forming the S-shape.

Bell-shaped curve:

When the absolute numbers of adoptions were plotted for a distinct time period, a bell-shaped
curve is obtained.

Factors affecting the rate of adoption of innovations:

1. Cultural incompatibility and mismatch is considered to be the biggest inhibiting factors in
the process of diffusion of innovations.

Ex: Many studies have substantiated that the new crop varieties, which give higher yields and
better incomes, have been rejected on the ground of taste, fear of ill-health, and
unacceptability as food.

2. Relative advantage of innovation.

3. Perceived impact of the adoption on social relations.
4. Complexities involved in the acceptance of the innovation on a sustained basis.
Scope for reversibility in case the innovation is to be rejected.

‘Diffusion of innovation’ studies the communication of new ideas from external sources and
their acceptance by peasants and others at the village level and documents the impact of
communication (inter-personal and mass media) on the change from a traditional to a modern
way of life.