The Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread.
When I think about the diffusion of innovations theory, the innovation that comes to mind is the iPhone. The first iPhone was created on June 29th, 2007 by Apple Inc.
Everett Rogers popularized this theory and proposes five main elements that influence the spread of this new idea: the innovations themselves, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system.
The innovation itself is the main key to the theory because you must have an innovation to begin the Diffusion theory. McKinsey & Company says that innovation is the systematic practice of developing and marketing breakthrough products and services for adoption by customers. This consists of any new idea, object, or practice, that is new.
The next element of the theory is adopters. Coincidentally, in my marketing class, we learned about the adopter categories classification. These are groups that individuals are placed in based on their purchasing history, or how quickly they decide to adopt an innovation.
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| Five Adopter Groups |
1. Innovators: These are the risk takers and the first to adopt the innovation. These people will buy a product before knowing the benefits or repercussions of the innovation. In this group, members tend to be more well-off financially, and leaders of the economy.
2. Early adopters: In this category, these people are still risk-takers but they put more time and thought into purchasing. This group has influence socially and the majority are financially well off.
3. Early Majority: This group will adopt the innovation after seeing it successfully used. This is the group that companies need to reach because they are the majority of the population. If companies and innovator want their product out, they need to influence the majority.
4. Late Majority: This is the below-average group and will buy a product later. This may be determined by a necessity or a pressure that they feel within the economy.
5. Laggards: This is the last group to adopt the innovation. They may have traditions so therefore they do not believe in the product. If they do then adopt the product, that means that the innovation is inevitable and a must for daily life.
Communication Channels are the next influence of the diffusion theory. This step is important to getting your innovation out for the world to see. This requires communication between social groups, social networks, and media. Another valuable impact on innovation is the spread of word-of-mouth.
Time is the next crucial piece of the diffusion theory. An innovation that can be useful to the time period you are living in, what is going on economically, and society, can affect how well your innovation is adopted.
The last step in the diffusion theory is the social system. This is when groups, companies, cities, and cultures, influence others' decisions. For example, if you are selling a new sunscreen skin care product, specifically in September, people in Northern states may be less likely to adopt the innovation than in Southern states.
Now that I have explained the diffusion theory, let's talk specifically about the iPhone.
The iPhone is a widely adopted innovation for many reasons such as easier communication, compatibility, innovative features, easier internet reach, and social influence.
Early adopters wanted to jump on the trend for the reasons above. It was something new and useful, and they were willing to take the risk. This would be expected from early adopters.
Late-adopters, may have not had loyalty to Apple or even saw the use of having an iPhone. This group may have felt that they could accomplish everything needed without this innovation.
Stepping away from a bigger perspective, I hear stories from my parents about their childhoods and what was like without iPhones. It seems that people were simply more present.
iPhones now, are a necessity. It is also impossible to be successful without a phone. Texting, calling, receiving emails, safari, and for safety reasons, you need the iPhone.
The consequences of having an iPhone are the social platforms and networking that we as humans cannot get away from. The downside regarding AI, government tracking, social tattoos, and posting things that are on the internet forever are downside of having an iPhone that would not be an issue without the innovation.
I do not believe that the positives outweigh the negatives, but I do understand the laggers of purchasing the iPhone and I deeply respect it. The iPhone is a helpful innovation, and it is a necessity, so I believe that managing the downsides of this technology must be through personal boundaries.
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