Diffusion of Innovations

 For my first EOTO assignment I studied the history of the VCR and how it has impacted our society along with its permanent impact on the Television Industry. The VCR was not originally adopted when it was first invented in the 50s because there were too many negatives that outweighed the positives. Fortunately, when the VCR was changed for the better it was then adopted because it had that interest and spark of something brand new. There was nothing like it back then which made adopting this invention that much easier. 

Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations is a great example of how and why we adopt different types of technologies. When a technology is not adopted, it is mainly because it did not reach everybody in its intended audience. An example, referring back to when the VCR first came out, it was not adopted because it did not reach everybody and wasn't the most accessible product. The reason why some people might adopt different types of technology late or not want to adopt it at all is they do not want to change the ways they are already in. We are not accustomed to be in a constant state of change, it is usually considered unappealing to the average person. Even if it is an amazing, life changing product, some people are incredibly stubborn and stuck. 

When Facebook first came out it spread like wildfire worldwide, you weren't considered cool if you didn't have Facebook. It was new like no had seen anything like it, it reached thousands if not millions of people in a short period of time. For its time Facebook was extremely innovative and creative which gave people that appeal to join the app. Facebook went through Rogers' process fairly quickly as everything happened very fast which is an important element when looking at this process. There is a time frame where if it does not reach as many people needed in a specific time period it is very likely the invention will not make it. 

Unfortunately, Facebook now has lost all of its appeal and not many people have joined over recent years. That is because other companies such as Instagram and Snapchat were able to grasp other people'e attention and Facebook simply fell through the cracks. Facebook failed to stay relevant like Rogers' theory says, it came to halt and stopped reaching people.