Post #9: Diffusion of Innovation

    

 What goes up must come down even in technology and the theory behind this phenomenon is coined as Diffusion of Innovation. Diffusion of Innovation is a concept that attempts to describe how, why, and how quickly new concepts and technologies spread. In his book Diffusion of Innovations, published in 1962, Everett Rogers, a professor of communication studies, popularized the theory. Rogers proposes that five main elements influence the spread of a new idea: the innovation itself, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system, he also states that this theory heavily relies on social capital. In order to self-sustain, the technology must be generally accepted and an innovation hits critical mass when it reaches a certain widespread adoption. The categories of adopters are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Diffusion takes several forms and is very dependent on the sort of adopters and the innovative decision-making process. Innovativeness, defined as the degree to which an individual adopts a new idea, is the criterion for categorizing adopters. 

     Instagram is a massive social media network that appeals to a wide range of people. Instagram is a piece of technology that has exploded in popularity. People utilize this not only for their own enjoyment, but also to build their brand and supplement their income. Instagram has been ingrained in many people's daily lives. Most people use some type of social media to keep in touch with the outside world, but in the past ten years this platform has expanded exponentially. Because it has evolved and spread swiftly across the public to become a regular activity in everyone's life, Instagram has unquestionably gone through the Theory of Diffusion. The five stages are as follows 1. Innovation: the creation and distribution of the app 2. Adopters: users of all ages, races, genders, and social class use this app 3. Communication channels: Many adopters of this app use it as their main form of social engagement 4. Time: users of this app continue to spend copious amount of time on this app 5. Social System: Allowing users test to out different parts of the app and then making adjustments as needed. 

     Instagram, I believe, gained traction and began to grow because it provided individuals with something free to do in their spare time. Instagram is free to use, and its purpose is for individuals to share photos of their lifestyle as well as promote brands and businesses. The people that were early adopters of this movement, I believe love the modern take on this social media app,  something comparable to Facebook. There were late adopters because they were probably not great fans of the app at first, but because so many other people had it, they felt left out. Being a part of Instagram has its advantages and disadvantages. Staying linked to family and friends as well as the free promotion for users is a positive, yet poor self-confidence from constantly comparing oneself to others may be a disadvantage. I still enjoy the use of this app because i am able to remain in contact with friends and family, learn about new topics, and as a form of entertainment.