Com435
Exam 3 Material
Exam April 10th
The Adoption of Technology * Technology advances are increasing at a growing rate * Moore’s variation of the Law: Technological advances double approximately every 18 months * Unlike processing speed, storage capacity, etc, adaption of technology is more difficult to measure * Adoption of particular technologies tend to follow a particular pattern
A Common Pattern * Adoption (diffusion) of innovations follow a typical pattern known as the S-shaped curve
The Diffusion of innovations * Everett Rogers – Diffusion of innovations * Innovation: an idea, practices, or objects that are perceived as new by an individual or other unit * Channels: the means by which messages about innovations travel from one person to another * Time: * Innovation decision-process for individual * Relative time to adoption compared to other adopters * Overall rate of adoption for innovation * Social System * Interrelated units that are engages in problem solving to accomplish a goal
Types of Adopters – Innovators * Innovators * Shortest adoption curve * Possible Characteristics * Venturesome * Access to financial resources * High level of technical knowledge * Tolerant of uncertainty
Types of Adopters – Early Adopters * Early Adopters * Most influential adopters * Possible characteristics * Integrated part of the local social system * High level of opinion leadership * Role models for others * Respected by peers * Successful
Types of Adopters – Early Majority * The Early Majority * 1/3 of the members of a system * Possible characteristics * Interact frequently with others * Seldom hold positions of opinion leadership * Deliberate before adopting new idea or technology
Types of Adopters – Late Majority * The Late Majority * 1/3 of the members of a system * Possible characteristics * Guided by peer pressure * Influenced by economic necessity * Skeptical of innovations * Cautious
Types of Adopters – Laggards * The laggards * Holdouts * Possible characteristics * Possess no opinion leadership * Isolates * Tied to the past * Suspicious of innovations * Lengthy innovation decision process * Limited resources
A Common Pattern * Tipping point * When adoption really takes off
5 Stages of Adoption * Awareness of Innovation * Becomes exposed to innovation * Interest in innovation * Begins to seek more information * Evaluation of innovation * Visualizes application of innovation to current and future situation and decides whether or not to try it * The trial of an innovation * Makes use of innovation to test it * Adoption of innovation * Decides to continue full use of innovation
Rejection and Discontinuance * Not all innovations are adopted * Rejection * An innovation can be rejected as a “bad” idea at any point in the innovation – decision process * Discontinuance * An innovation can be dropped after adoption * Disenchantment discontinuance: it turned out to sucl after all * Replacement discontinuance: a better solution emerged that took its place
Conclusion
* Rogers Diffuse of Innovation Model * Provides a way of looking at technology adoption in the context of social structures * Describes characteristics of adopters * Has been very useful in predicting how successful an innovation will be over time * Helps us understand why a technology never fully diffused throughout a social system
Social Structure
Van Dijk’s Major Argument * Communication networks change social infrastructure, but social infrastructure shapes communication technology, they are mutually influencing each other
Space and Time * The network society (and association information technologies) transcends traditional concepts of space and time * Space and time “spread out” * Some have referred to the death of distance” * Space and time are increasing irrelevant… but not really * Space and time become more salient * Examples * Stock market * Texting
Blurring of spheres of living * Public and private * Work and leisure * Interpersonal and mass communication
The example of telecommuting * Why work at home when all this networking lets you do your stuff from everywhere * Poor labor conditions * Contract work (suppressed advancement opportunities) * Professional positions * Weakened communication with management and colleagues reduces quality * Lack of coordination * Social isolation * Lack of separation from work and family life
Example of Distance Education * Distance Education is growing * In 2010, 1/3 of enrolled students were taking at least one online course * Advantages * Less time spent traveling * Flexible planning of day * Ability to provide feedback/grades faster
Disadvantages of distance education * Weakened collaborative work or student – student interaction opportunities * Very low faculty-student interaction * Increased need for student independence and self- discipline * Social isolation prevents development of valuable relationships and networking * Study is intermingles with other domestic activities causing tension in modern households
The Rise of Social Media * What are social media doing? * Expands the blurring of tradition dividing lines in life and communication * Where does our social life end and professional life begin * Creating tensions between the need identity development and need for privacy * Creating opportunities for access to new information and relationships and information/communications overload on the other hand * VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
Do social media improve sociability? * On one side * Reduces face to face interaction, increasing isolation * Increases lonliness * On the other hand * Increases “social capital” * Civic engagement * Sense if community * Strengthens offline interactions * Extends communication with family and friends
What is the Digital Divide? * The gap between those who do and do not have access to computers and the internet
How are we divided? * Motivation for access * Variation in individual desire for access ( think diffusion theory) * Lack of time, perceived need, etc. * Physical and material access * Opportunity to use computers or internet * Divide is shrinking in development countries, but growing in developing countries * Digital skills * Operational skills (button knowledge) * Formal skills (file and menu structures, web-browsing, etc.) * Information skills (finding and evaluating information) * Communication skills (interacting with others) * Content-creation skills (publishing and creating resources) * Strategic skills (being able to accomplish personal or professional goals) * Usage * How much does one use computers and internet * What is the range of computers and internet activity * How sophisticated is the usage
Where are the divides * Countries (physical and material access) * Age (motivation) * Gender (social uses versus content consumption) * Education (resources creation versus social/entertainment uses) * Socio-Economic (physical and material access)
So is the divide growing or shrinking? * Van Dijk argues neither * The digital divide is not closing or widening, it is deepening: gradually the digital divide shifts from inequality of physical access to unequal digital skills and usage patterns * The network society, therefore, is unstable * We are both too connected and too divided as a consequence of the connectedness