Diffusion of innovations

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/diffusion-of-innovations

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the academic originator?Everett Rogers
2. What is the publication year of key work?1962
3. What is the Diffusion of Innovations theory?It explains how new ideas and inventions spread through people over time. It shows how people learn about, decide to use, and keep using something new.
4. Why do some inventions become popular faster than others?Because people see benefits, find them easy to use, and can try them out. Good communication and sharing also help it spread quickly.

Diffusion of Innovations: A theory explaining the process by which an innovation is communicated through channels over time among members of a social system.
Critical Mass: The minimum level of adoption required for an innovation to become self-sustaining and spread rapidly.
Adopter Categories: A classification of individuals within a social system based on their relative innovativeness and speed of adoption.
Communication Channels: The means by which information about an innovation is exchanged between individuals or groups.