Diffusion of Innovations

                        

  

   Looking at an innovation which plays a part in most of our lives, including mine, the cellphone is one of the most important that has caught on and spread. The first cell phone came out in the 1970's, and since then have advanced to become a huge part of our lives. The convenience of having a telephone to use without wires allowed us to be portable with the device and reach out to people from almost any location. So many people became early adopters because of this convenience, and for some it could also be for safety. Being able to carry a phone everywhere you go, especially when released in the 1970's became a huge innovation in terms of safety. It was also just a cool new thing to have, which attracted people to it.

    Some people did not adopt it, some to this day have not, because it is not cheap. Phones today can cost upward of $1,000, not including service and additional fees. Cheaper devices and services are offered, but many people want the nicer, newer devices and just cannot justify this big buy. There are still opportunities to communicate with others using public phones or landlines, so for some people there may be no need for a cell phone. Some people simply do not want one.

    I think overall, cellphones are a positive innovation, as they allow us to communicate with almost anyone we want, where and when we want. It allows us to conveniently access phone, messaging, a camera, and billions of applications that allow us to further entertain ourselves, be creative, and reach other people. This can bring its downsides though, as people can reach us all the time. Having so much to do on one little device and having the ability to reach so many people/have them reach us can become very overwhelming. People may also become addicted to using them, as it's like our lives revolve around them.  I would say for reasons of convenience and even safety, the benefits of this communication technology outweigh the negatives.

picture from: https://partnersinexcellenceblog.com/our-products-are-becoming-commoditized/new-product-diffusion-model-diagram-ppt/