Instagram Through the Lens of the Diffusion Theory
An Overview
The Diffusion of Innovations Theory was brought to life by a communications professor named Everett Rogers. Rogers wrote about his theory and published his knowledge in his book, Diffusion of Innovations in 1962. There have been four more editions to his book since. The theory is an explanation of the rate at which technology is adapted and why.
The Components of the Theory
There are four elements within this theory:
The innovation/technology
Communication channels
Time
Social System
There are five categories:
Innovators
Early adopters
Early majority
Later majority
Laggards
There are five stages in the decision-making process:
Knowledge/awareness
Persuasion
Decision
Implementation
Confirmation/continuation
In-Depth Dive: The Theory in Action
The Diffusion Theory begins with an innovation, this could be something like a new social media or a new form of communication. After the innovation comes to life it then goes through the five stages of the adoption process. First, an individual is exposed to the innovation but does not get interested or inspired to learn more. Inspiration and interest are sparked during the persuasion stage in which the individual seeks out more information on the innovation. Next comes the decision stage where the individual analyzes the pros and cons of using the innovation. This is when there is rejection or acceptance. If the individual accepts this new technology, they will look deeper into it and contemplate the usefulness of it in their life. Lastly, the confirmation stage is when the individual will make a final decision to continue using the new technology or get rid of it.
As listed above, there are different categories of “adopters,” or in other words, there are different ways people will react to a new innovation/technology. Let’s go over them:
Innovators: these are daredevils, they want to be the first to try the new thing and are financially stable and can risk failure.
Early Adopters: these are high status socially and financially people, they are usually well educated
Early Majority: these people adopt later than innovators and early adopters would but before the late majority and laggards
Late Majority: these people adopt somewhere around the average person using the technology would, they are skeptical and usually have lower social status and financial means
Laggards: these people are the very last to adopt new innovations and are usually an older crowd with close-contact to immediate friends and family
Examination of the Diffusion Theory on Instagram
Instagram is a very popular social media application for iOS and Android devices. It was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger in 2010. The app allows users to upload media such as pictures or videos with filters and captions. Users can like and comment on posts and repost posts on their stories (a 24-hour-lasting highlight post). There are options to use geotags and browse other tags and locations.
Finding rapid success, Instagram gained one million users within its first two months of being launched. At one year old, 10 million people became users and as of 2020 Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users. This shows that many people were early adopters of Instagram. This could be because Instagram users are mostly female of the ages 18-29. 72% of teens use Instagram. This demographic group is very comfortable and familiar with social media and they welcome new platforms; think about how fast Snapchat and VSCO blew up. Instagram has a creative feel to it, users are encouraged to put filters and add artistic value to photographs and videos to then induce a personalized aesthetic. This attracts the demographic just mentioned but it does not attract the older generations which is why there are laggards. For example, my grandparents and parents use Facebook but they don't know what Instagram is. Instagram is more artistically expressive and shorter, quirkier captions are better than long. Rather than on Facebook where it is normal to post paragraphs along with an album of unfiltered pictures. Many users post “posed” pictures on Instagram which does not make sense to older generations. Many influencers go out with the sole intention to take photographs for Instagram in which older generations would not do that, they would take photographs in the moment.
There are pros and cons to Instagram, as there are with any social media platform. Some pros of Instagram are:
-marketing opportunities
-easy way to share content quickly
-expression of emotion/art
-privacy settings
-business opportunities
-can inspire others
Some cons are:
-a lot of advertisements/sponsored posts when scrolling through feed
-can make people feel that they are not living a good enough life because they see others posting their seemingly perfect life or body
-anyone can use it, this can cause harassment
Overall, I believe Instagram is worth it if you are into the creative and aesthetic aspect of social media. It is a place where positivity can be spread to inspire others. It is also a great way to see where others travel and different experiences others may have. Although, it is good to keep in mind the impact Instagram, and any other social media can have on mental health. Remember that social media is a place where the highs are showcase and most often, exaggerated rather than the everyday life most live.
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