The theory of Innovation Diffusion is based on the
notion that adoption of an innovation involves the spontaneous or planned spread of new
ideas, and Rogers defines an innovation as: ???... an idea, practice, or object that is perceived
as new??? (Rogers, 1995, p. 11).
In diffusion theory, the existence of an innovation is seen to cause uncertainty in the minds
of potential adopters (Berlyne, 1962), and uncertainty implies a lack of predictability and
of information. Uncertainty can be considered as the degree to which a number of alternatives
are perceived in relation to the occurrence of some event, along with the relative
probabilities of each of these alternatives occurring (Lepa & Tatnall, 2002). Diffusion is
considered to be an information exchange process amongst members of a communicating
social network, driven by the need to reduce uncertainty. Those involved in considering
adoption of the innovation are motivated to seek information to reduce this uncertainty. The
new ideas upon which an innovation is based are communicated over time, through various
types of communication channels, among the members of a social system. Thus, there are
four main elements of innovation diffusion: characteristic of the innovation itself, the nature
of the communication channels, the passage of time, and the social system through which
the innovation diffuses (Rogers, 1995).
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