Blog Post #9 Social Media the Diffusion of Innovation

 An innovation is a word we all think we know. When asked to define the 11 letter word you would get well over 11 different answers. Some of the best definitions are HERE. My personal favorite definition that resonates the most with how I inturpret the word is from Barak Obama. He states, "Innovation is the creation of something that improves the way we live our lives."

One of the most prominent innovations based off this definition is Social Media. Over the years Social Media has created a huge impact on the way we live our lives. Millions of users choice these Social Media platforms including, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. It has revolutionized the way we interact with one another and gather information. There is a direct correlation to the development of Social Media and Roger's Theory of the Diffusion of Innovation.

This theory explains the timeline of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technologies are formed. 

Social media is considered an innovation. The huge expansion of new media creates a growing chance to experience these new and exciting platforms. This makes people wonder more about Social Media. Because of this, individuals feel the need to use social media as a form of communication and will start to get knowledge about the online platforms. Within the knowledge stage, people evaluate different social media platforms. At the second step called persuasion, individuals become more psychologically involved with the social media platforms. Individuals make an evaluation about the benefits and disadvantages of the social media and prepare themselves to make a decision about using or not using such platforms. Next they will implement Social Media into their daily lives or not and confirm their opinion on it.

This creates the time when it will be diffused and go through the process. The Social Media platforms have grown users and hit a "climax" more and more people become aware of the technology and now use it. Not everyone continues using it but the process continues.

This is how all innovations process. It starts with only a few people, grown and grows and then hits a decrease.

For more information on the Diffusion of Innovation CLICK HERE