DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS THEORY

 CELLPHONE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY

    The diffusion of technologies theory is something that I've never heard of before taking this class. The basis of the theory consists around the idea that society has different standards for adapting to new technologies. For instance, early cellphones were mainly just used for phone calls, which was something that most homes already had installed in their house. New features began to be added that made cellphones more useful to users including the additions of voicemail and instant messaging. After developers realized that these features led to a huge increase in sales, they continued to add features that ultimately lead up into what we know and use today in the year 2021. Now, the cellphone is personified as a "mobile device" compared to its original name. This is because we are now able to take photos in 4k, talk to people over FaceTime, surf the web, check personal emails, and the ability to customize different social media pages. The social media aspect of it is one huge feature that made cellphones the most influential technology that can control how our society interacts with each other. With all that context in mind, the diffusion of innovation theories is interesting when linking cellphones to the older generations. Since my father works with all sorts of different technologies for his job, he had a seamless transition to the development of cellphones. My other family members on the other hand didn't feel the need to own a cellphone because all they would use it for is to call people and check emails which can be done without cellphones. In the past, they had technologies like a portable camera that would allow them to take pictures. Now, these older generations like the Baby Boomers are beginning to use cellphones more because all those features including a digital video camera and FaceTime are now all integrated into one singular device. This is the beauty of the mobile device. 

    Looking at the diffusion theory from the other side where the younger generations have grown up using cellphones, iPads, Apple Watches and VR headsets makes it crazy to think what our society is going to look like 30+ years from now. Generation Z and Millennials are the experimental generations that give us evidence on how the advance in technologies has changed the way our society interacts with each other. As younger kids grow up, they become fascinated with playing video games which naturally develops into the need for a cellphone to interact with all their other friends. I believe that part of the adaptation phase comes from a kid's FOMO (or fear of missing out) when they see all their friend's using all the new and cool technologies. Also, with the new capabilities that cellphones have nowadays, people always feel the need to capture any unique moment of their life onto their cellphones. This can be a negative thing however because it could hinder the actual moment they're experiencing. The older generations find this to be one of the main reasons why they refuse to adapt to the cellphone age because of how simplistic life was growing up in the 80's and 90's. Also, people notice how expensive the latest iPhones and iPads can be, so they are becoming increasingly unwilling to pay for these technologies. These people would be considered the laggards and late majority users that are still skeptical to this day about what cellphones and social media will do to our society as time goes by.