San Antonio, Jomar M.
BAJ 3-1D
Introduction to Communication Research

Part A. Title
#12 DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION MODEL

Part B. Model Application and Usage
Diffusion of Innovations has been applied to numerous contexts, including medical sociology, communications, marketing, development studies, health promotion, organizational studies, knowledge management, and complexity studies, with a particularly large impact on the use of medicines, medical techniques, and health communications.

Part C. Model

Part D. Explanation

The increasing use of communication to support development and innovation has stimulated efforts to systematize a process for such uses. The familiar five-step stages of the diffusion of innovation/ adoption theory are conceived in the light of the development project which seeks for the widest dissemination of information to the people, and the media are there to help and encourage them. These stages are as follows:

1) awareness (learning of the new idea or practice but has little information about it)
2) interest (individual seeks additional information)
3) evaluation (individual considers the new idea in relation to his needs and decides to try it)
4) trial (individual tries out the new idea on small scale; and)
5) adoption (individual adopts the idea on a full scale with the intention of continuing it.)

Everett Rogers in his Diffusion of Innovation theory proposed a five-stage model:

1) Knowledge (individual exposed to the innovation’s existence, but lacks information about the innovation. During this stage the individual has not yet been inspired to find out more information about the innovation.)

2) Persuasion (individual forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude. The individual is interested in the innovation and actively seeks related information/details.)

3) Decision (individual takes the concept of the change and weighs the advantages/ disadvantages of using the innovation and decides whether to adopt or reject the innovation)

4) Implementation (individual employs the innovation to a varying degree depending on the situation. During this stage the individual also determines the usefulness of the innovation and may search for further information about it.)

5) Confirmation (individual finalizes his/her decision to continue using the innovation. This stage is both intrapersonal and interpersonal, confirmation the group has made the right decision.)

Adopter categories 1) Innovators- Innovators are willing to take risks, have the highest social status, have financial liquidity, are social and have closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators.

2) Early adopters- These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the adopter categories. They are more discreet in adoption choices than innovators. They use judicious choice of adoption to help them maintain a central communication position.

3) Early Majority- They adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time that is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. Early Majority have above average social status, contact with early adopters and seldom hold positions of opinion leadership in a system. 4) Late Majority- They adopt an innovation after the average participant. These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority of society has adopted the innovation.

5) Laggards- They are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike some of the previous categories, individuals in this category show little to no opinion leadership. These individuals typically have an aversion to change-agents. Laggards typically tend to be focused on "traditions".

Part E. Example