Diffusionis the process by which an

innovation is communicated through

certain channels over time among
the members of a social system.
The Mechanism of Diffusion
1)Knowledge person becomes aware of an
innovation and has some idea of how it functions,
2)Persuasion person forms a favourable or
unfavourable attitude toward the innovation,
3)Decision person engages in activities that
lead to a choice to adopt or reject the innovation,
4)Implementation person puts an innovation
into use,
5)Confirmation person evaluates the results of
an innovation-decision already made.
Diffusion of Innovation Theory

How the social members adopt the

new innovative ideas and how they
made the decision towards it.
Both mass media and interpersonal
communication channel is involved in
the diffusion process.
Rogers proposed four elements of
diffusion of innovations they are
 four elements of diffusion of
innovations
Innovations
Communication Channel
Time
Social System
 Innovations - an idea, product or service
perceived as new by an individual.
Communication Channel - take the
messages from one individual to another and
spread across the people by word of mouth, or
through mass communication
Time- the length of time which takes from the
people to get adopted
Social System- Interrelated network group
joint together - like religion, institutions, groups
of people etc
 Adopter Categories
There are five adopter categories -
innovators, early adopters, early
majority, late majority and
laggards.
Adopter categories were first
described by sociologist Everett
Rogers in his landmark book
"Diffusion of Innovations" published
in 1962
 Innovators (2.5%) Innovators are the first
individuals to adopt an innovation.
Innovators are willing to take risks, youngest
in age, have the highestsocial class, have
great financial strength, very social and have
closest contact to scientific sources and
interaction with other innovators.
Risk tolerance has them adopting
technologies which may ultimately fail.
Financial resources help absorb these failures.
 Early Adopters (13.5%) This is the
second fastest category of individuals who
adopt an innovation.
These individuals have the highest degree
ofopinion leadershipamong the other
adopter categories.
Early adoptersare typically younger in
age, have a higher social status, have more
financial strength, advanced education, and
are more socially forward than late adopters.
 Early Majority (34%) Individuals in
this category adopt an innovation
after a varying degree of time.
This time of adoption is significantly
longer than the innovators and early
adopters.
Early Majority tend to be slower in the
adoption process, have above average
social status.
 Late Majority (34%) Individuals in this
category will adopt an innovation after the
average member of the society.
These individuals approach an innovation with
a high degree of doubt and adopt after the
majority of society has adopted the innovation.
Late Majority are typically doubt about an
innovation, have below average social status,
very little financial strength, in contact with
others in late majority and early majority.
 Laggards (16%) Individuals in this
category are the last to adopt an innovation.
Unlike some of the previous categories,
individuals in this category show little to no
opinion leadership.
Laggards typically tend to be focused on
traditions, likely to have lowest social
status, lowest financial strength, be oldest of
all other adopters, in contact with only
family and close friends.