MediaTech: Innovation Adoption & Development: Rogers Development (W4-P2) Fa15

Note: Don't confuse this with the adoption decision process.

How does the innovation development process work?
How does an innovation come to exist, diffuse and influence society?

1. Recognizing a Problem or Need
2. Basic and Applied Research
3. Development
4. Commercialization
5. Diffusion and Adoption
6. Consequences

Did you see this process in the Empire of the Air?


1. Recognizing a Problem or Need

• Was there a need for radio?   Did it solve a problem?

2. Basic and Applied Research

• Basic research: gain basic scientific knowledge related to the problem/need
• Applied research: using scientific knowledge to specifically solve the problem.
• What did the early inventors of radio need to know?  What was there research?

3. Development

• How did radio develop?  What is the story?
• Role of skunk works in organizations?   (Oxford Dictionary definition) 
• Technology transfer: two-way exchange of tech
• Technology transfer: “two or more parties must participate in a series of communication exchanges as they seek to establish a mutual understanding about the meaning of the technology” (Rogers)
• Example
• VCR invented by Ampex, a U.S. company in late 50s
• Sold big VCRs to television stations
• Home use: They said “we’re not in that market”
• Sold rights to Sony
• And now you know the rest of the story

4. Commercialization

• Commercialization: “the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of a product that embodies the innovation” (Rogers).
• Did they talk of the commercialization of radio in the clip?  In the reading?
• Technology cluster: “consists of one or more distinguishable elements of technology that are perceived as being interrelated closely.” (Rogers)
• e.g., computer and mouse
• e.g., mp3 player and __________
• What are the elements of the radio cluster that would also diffuse?

5. Diffusion and Adoption

• How did radio diffusion?  Did it diffusion widely?

6. Consequences

• What effects did radio have on society?
• More on consequences later.  We'll return to that important topic later.

Did you see this process in the Empire of the Air?


Besides radio, do you have some understanding of this process as it relates to some other media technology? What about some Apple devices?  Did the recent Jobs movie show any of this process?



Source: Diffusion of Innovations, 4th ed.


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