Diffusion of Innovations

The process by which an innovation is communicated to the members of a social system. This occurs through certain channels over time. The French sociologist Gabriel Tarde was one of the first to study the concept, or what he referred to as the laws of imitation. His examination sought to explain why some innovations are widely accepted while most are ignored. In 1962, Everett Rogers, in his book Diffusion of Innovations, examined an enormous body of research on the theory from six different disciplines. He described the process as being broken down into four elements: (1) the innovation, (2) the channels of communication, (3) time, and (4) the social system. There are five stages from innovation to adoption: (1) awareness or first knowledge of an innovation, (2) developing an attitude or interest, (3) evaluating and deciding whether or not to accept the innovation, (4) implementing the idea, and, finally, (5) adoption. Prior conditions, such as perceived need, previous practice, level of innovativeness and societal norms, and characteristics of the decision-making unit and of the innovation, all influence the process and adoption. Having synthesized the available research, Rogers determined that the great prepon derance of the literature on the theory shared three basic concerns: (1) the factors that affect an innovation's rate of diffusion, (2) the characteristics that determine early and late adopters, and (3) how the network structures of the adopters affect the order of adoptions. Because mass media is the most efficient way to spread awareness of an innovation, advertising and public relations profes sionals, considered change agents in the theory, can use an understanding of the process and prior conditions to great advantage for their clients. For more information, see Rogers (1962) and Tarde (1903).