How do new ideas or technologies spread through societies?
The diffusion of innovation theory, developed by E.M. Rogers, explains this process from initial introduction to broad adoption.
It’s an essential theory that helps entrepreneurs, marketers and innovators map the key stages of technology adoption, understand how to reach the correct type of adopters, and factors influencing the speed of diffusion.
Key Takeaways
- The Diffusion of Innovations Theory outlines five main elements—innovation, adopters, communication channels, time, and the social system—that influence how and at what rate new ideas spread.
- Innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards represent distinct adopter categories, each playing a critical role in the diffusion process.
- Factors such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability significantly impact the speed of innovation adoption, while cultural stigma and perceived risks often serve as barriers.
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