DIFFUSION THEORY

HISTORY OF THE THEORYCONCEPT FIRST STUDIED BYFRENCH SOCIOLOGIST: GABRIEL TRADEGERMAN ANTHROPOLOGIST: FRIEDRICH RATZELAUSTRALIAN ANTHROPOLOGIST: LEO FROBENIUS

ANTHROPOLOGISTS

GERMAN AUSTRALIAN

STARTED IN RURAL SOCIOLOGY AND APPLIED IN VARIOUS CONTEXTSMEDICAL SOCIOLOGYCOMMUNICATIONMARKETINGDEVELOPMENT STUDIESHEALTH PROMOTIONS

INVENTION OF THE THEORYIN 1962

EVERETTE MICHAEL ROGERS, A PROFESSOR OF RURAL SOCIOLOGY, PUBLISHED HIS SEMINAR WORK ‘‘DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY’’WHICH PRODUCED A THEORY OF THE ADOPTION OF INNOVATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS, HENCE THIS LED TO DIFFUSION THEORY ALSO KNOWN AS THE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY

EVERETTE ROGERS

BASICS OF THE THEORY•INNOVATION: SOMETHING THAT IS NEW TO AN INDIVIDUAL. THIS COULD BE NEW IDEAS, PRACTICE OR AN OBJECT

BASICS •DIFFUSION: SPREAD OF INNOVATION TO OTHERS HENCE IT’S A PROCESS OF INDIVIDUALS TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS, INTERPERSONAL COMMUINICATION

ACCORDING TO EVERETT

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH AN INNOVATION IS COMMUNICATED THROUGH CERTAIN CHANNELS OVERTIME AMONG THE MEMBER OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM

ELEMENTS OF THE THEORY

INNOVATIONADOPTERSCOMMUNICATION CHANNELS

TIMESOCIAL SYSTEM

STAGES OF DIFFUSIONKNOWLEDGEPERSUASIONDECISIONIMPLEMENTATIONCONFIRMATION

ADOPTERS CATEGORIESoINNOVATORSoEARLY ADOPTERSoEARLY MAJORITYoLATE MAJORITYoLAGGARDS

THE S- SHAPED CURVE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA1960 (PPFA)

• IN THE 1960 PPFA INNOVATED THE USE OF FAMILY PLANNING METHODS AS BIRTH CONTROL METHODS•MEDIA REFUSAL TO ADAPT AND SELL THE COMPANY’S PRODUCT AND GOVERNMENT• PEOPLE OF LATIN AMERICA ACCEPTED THE CONTRACEPTIVE USE TO CONTROL HIGH NUMBER OF BIRTH RATES AND UNWANTED PREGNANCIES

CONT

•USED OPINION LEADERS IN PRESS CONFERENCES FOR TESTIMONIES• FACE TO FACE TALK WITH PEOPLE• LATER THE MEDIA ACCEPTED THE EFFECTIVE COMPANIES WORK• SOME RELIGIONS REFUSED AND STIIL REFUSE• SPREAD LATER TO AFRICA ,ASIA

THEORY INCORPORATION• Innovators- planned federation • Early adopters –Latin America people ,opinion leaders• Early majority- the rest of Americans, opinion followers• Late majority-Asia, Africa• Laggards – some religions, government and the media(the two later converted to late majority)• At times some laggard cannot refuse things anymore since change is seen by all but some still live in denial

STEPS INCORPORATION •KNOWLEDGE;DURING INVENTIONS, CAMPAIGNS.• PERSUASION;THROUGH PUBLIC LEADERS AN FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION•DECISION; EARLY MAJORITY MADE A DECISION• TRIAL;DONE WITH EARLY MAJORITY: THE LATIN AMERICA•ADOPTION;INTO OTHER CONTINENT AMERICA ,ASIA ,AFRICA

FAILURE AND CRITIQUE OF THE THEORY•BENEFITS VS COSTS