Theories Can In Fact Be Cool: Diffusion of Innovation Theory

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory is a surprisingly interesting and useful concept, despite being old and dusty, given its conception in 1962 by one E.M. Rogers. The theory basically goes that the adoption of inventions can fall into multiple categories, going from earliest adoption to latest. The theory analyzing each category, and why they were early or late to adopt.

The Diffusion Theory can give us insight into the adoption of innovations and how this affects the take-off and longevity of the item. It's also a useful tool to apply to marketing, business, and influence. 

Let's, for example, look at the invention of the television. While I myself was not around when the TV came out, I do listen to a lot of My Favorite Husband "starring Lucille Ball and Danny Richard!" and they specifically had an episode talking about buying a television, where Liz Cooper had to sneakily devise plans to try and convince her husband George that they should get a TV. I'm getting away from the point. Television. It came out, pictures on screens, the quality wasn't the best. There weren't many channels either. And why spend so much money for a television when they had the radio and newspapers and they could go see the local football game themselves. This mindset of people tended to fall in the late majority and laggards. They either started adopting TV after all their friends and neighbors and family raved about how much they loved it and eventually won them over, or they didn't adopt until it became a big enough problem or inconvenience that they didn't have one. And that's more of less the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, though it can go into so much more depth and analysis.

Stay Spicy, Drink Water.