Adoption and Diffusion

The diffusion of innovations theory is the most cited communication theory and the second most cited social science theory to date. This entry defines diffusion as the communication process underlying the natural spreading of an innovation (i.e., a new technology, behavior, or meme) over time within a social system. On the other hand, adoption is an individual or organizational decision to accept or reject an innovation, along with its subsequent implementation, discontinuance, and/or modification. Therefore, adoption is an individual or organizational process that leads to diffusion as a systemic process. The entry reviews the historical development of diffusion as a research paradigm, and the emergence of the diffusion of innovations theory, including its core concepts such as adopter categories, innovation attributes, diffusion networks, opinion leadership, organizational adoption, and users' reinvention. The entry concludes with some criticisms of diffusion theory as well as future theoretical and methodological opportunities for diffusion research.