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.
Everet M. Rogers (1983) saw the diffusion of new ideas and their practice as a crucial component of the modernization process.
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.
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.
The diffusion process is the spread of a new idea from its source of creation to the adopters or users.
Everet M. Rogers (1983) saw the diffusion of new ideas and their practice as a crucial component of the modernization process.
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.
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.
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