History of the Diffusion of Innovation |
| TToday diffusion of innovation analysis is a major thrust of research efforts in
communications theory but the history of diffusion theory predates the establishment of
communications as an academic specialty. Research on theories of diffusion of innovation
date back to the beginnings of research in the social sciences, particularly in the field
of sociology |
| One particular pioneer was Gabriel Tarde, a French lawyer and judge, who
determined societal trends from the cases he encountered in court. In 1903 he
observed most of the crucial variables needed for diffusion of innovation: the
influence of opinion leaders in modeling adoption behavior for others and the
importance of individual learning about innovations by copying another personís
adoption behavior. Tardes used slightly different terms than those commonly
found in diffusion theory today, emphasizing the process of imitation in
adoption behavior. |
| Soon after Tardeís discoveries, a separate group of European and German
anthropologists made many of the same observations in their explorations of the
process of social change. Their work tended to focus, however, on the
introduction of innovation from forces outside of the society, ignoring the
process of continual invention and diffusion that occur simultaneously. |
| After a long hiatus in diffusion research, the theory has been explored by a
number of different academic disciplines resulting in a diffusion of diffusion
innovation research. Disciplines ranging from rural sociology, education, public
health, medical sociology, marketing/management and psychology each brought
their particular perspective and research methods to diffusion research. |
| Anthropologists in the 1920s focused on direct observation of societal
behavior, education researchers looked at teaching and learning innovations,
public health and medical sociology examined new drug adoption, family planning
practices and AIDS prevention, marketing/management researchers monitor the
adoption of new products. |
| Pioneering efforts of rural sociology |
| A landmark study in 1943 (Ryan and Gross) of the adoption of hybrid corn seed
in Iowa, established many of the foundations for later diffusion research. The
study examined the adoption behavior of farmers focusing on the decision process
(awareness, trial and adoption), role of channels of communications in providing
awareness of innovation and the influence of the farmerís individual personal,
economic and social characteristics (amount of travel and exposure to other
farmers who had already adopted the new seed, for example) in explaining the
rate of adoption. |
| Following the Ryan and Gross study, there was a proliferation of diffusion
innovation research in the 1950s and 1960s as many land grant colleges, spurred
by federal funding, performed research and introduced many innovations in
agricultural methods and products.In later years research focus shifted from
innovation to the consequences of innovation. Improvements in agricultural
practices resulted in overproduction and affected crop prices. Chemicals used
for pest control and animal feeds resulted in carcinogenic concerns. |
| Medical Sociology |
| Studies of the adoption rates of new drugs and procedures found many
similarities to those performed by the rural sociologists. The classic study in
this area was the Columbia University drug study (Coleman and others 1966). It
found that interpersonal networks of physicians and the amount of travel (which
provided the meeting opportunities to create those networks) were a great
predictor of adoption rates. Physician use of a drug or procedure was influenced
by the experiences of their friends and colleagues in their interpersonal social
network. |
| Communications studies |
| This field, which started after World War II, has contributed to the
understanding of how news events are communicated to society through the
influence of mass media communications (television, radio etc.) and informal
ìword-of-mouthî social networks. Scholars in this field are also open to
examining many types of innovation, rather than specializing in a particular
subject such as the concentration of education diffusion research on educational
techniques. |
| Marketing |
| Marketing research into diffusion of innovation focuses primarily on the
introduction of and adoption rates of new products. This field also examines the
effect of social marketing where society is forced to adopt innovations (i.e.
government regulations forcing the installation of air bags in cars, wearing of
helmets for motorcycle riders etc.) |