Diffusion of Innovation Theory: A Comprehensive Overview, Lecture notes of Media Management

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Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Topic 11 Course Instructor: Ms. Zowaina Azhar

Introduction

How, over time, an idea or product gains momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a specific population or social system. Adoption means that a person does something differently than what they had previously been doing. Innovation is an idea, cause, product, service or behavior.

Graph of Adopters Category

Factors That Influence Adoption

 Relative Advantage - The degree to which an innovation is seen as better than the idea, program, or product it replaces.  Compatibility - How consistent the innovation is with the values, experiences, and needs of the potential adopters.  Complexity - How difficult the innovation is to understand and/or use.  Triability - The extent to which the innovation can be tested or experimented with before a commitment to adoption is made.  Observability - The extent to which the innovation provides tangible results.

Limitations of Diffusion of Innovation Theory Much of the evidence for this theory, including the adopter categories, did not originate in public health and it was not developed to explicitly apply to adoption of new behaviors or health innovations. It does not foster a participatory approach to adoption of a public health program. It works better with adoption of behaviors rather than cessation or prevention of behaviors. It doesn't take into account an individual's resources or social support to adopt the new behavior (or innovation).

Thank You!