Getting a new idea, policy, or behavior to take hold and be widely adopted is a complex and often slow process. Even great ideas often fail to catch on. But a better understanding of the process people follow in considering and adopting new ideas can give you an edge, making it more likely the idea will spread across individuals or communities. And nothing explains that process better than the Diffusion of Innovation framework, developed in the 1960s by Everett Rodgers.
Research-based and applicable not just in public health but in technology, fashion, even farming — Diffusion of Innovation is audience segmentation, timeline, and communication strategy all rolled into one. This episode takes a quick look at its basic components, which are perfect for not only individual health behaviors, but also for changing policies and opinions, too.
Resources:
Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Principles, And Practice (researchgate.net)
A chart of the adoption curve:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/9069cbea-c79f-4f8b-9df7-b39c5ad1d3d8/jdi12568-toc-0001-m.png
A fun cartoon of the adoption curve:
https://rosinskohiro.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/f6cfe-070226-1-adoption.jpg
Examples of how the framework can be used:
- Implications of Diffusion of Innovations Theory for a Culturally Sensitive Multi-sectoral Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention (scholars.direct)
- Diffusion of innovations theory applied to global tobacco control treaty ratification – ScienceDirect
- Applying Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Intervention Development. – Abstract – Europe PMC
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