Diffusion of New Information Technologies

The adoption of new information technologies, ideas or innovations is a generally slow and arduous process of waiting for an entire population to comply with a proposed change. The leisurely pace with which these acceptances occur prompts scholars and practitioners to make educated predictions about its diffusion. One of the most popular adoption models is describes research that revolves around the likelihood of community acceptance of an idea or new technology. Diffusion of Innovations seeks to explain how innovations are taken up in a population and how those ideas are spread among groups (Schlein, 2010). An innovation can be any idea, behavior, or object that is perceived as new by its audience (Schlein, 2010). Over the past several decades, the theory has evolved and transformed over various fields of research. Diffusion of Innovation Theory, developed by E.M. Rogers in 1962, is one of the oldest social science theories but Rogers solidified his assertions in 2003, providing what’s considered the most comprehensive explanation and review of the voluminous literature (Frenzel, 2009). While it is rooted in studies of sociology and anthropology, business theorists seek the theory’s guidance when performing marketing and consumer behavior studies, espousing the paradigm for its application when introducing new products’ public acceptance and diffusion over time (Rahman, 2012). One is able to recognize the theory’s presence from its manifestation of the three valuable insights into the process of social change: 1, the qualities make an innovation spread 2, the importance of peer to peer conversations within their shared networks and 3, an understanding the needs of different user segments (Frenzel, 2009). This paper offers up the ...

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...ing. In public health, Diffusion of Innovation Theory is used to accelerate the adoption of important public health programs that typically aim to change the behavior of a social system. The most successful adoption of a public health program results from understanding the target population and the factors influencing their rate of adoption.

The Diffusion of Innovation theory is a multifaceted tool that can be used for many purposes. It allows for a look at as to why an innovation succeeds or why it fails and it can also tell you how that innovation spread and to who it spread to over a certain period of time. The culmination of a life time of work by Everett M. Rogers gathers most information needed through surveys and can predict how health communication can so infectiously spread into society – Diffusion of Innovation and its studies are a really valuable tool.