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Are you a technology follower or a resister? Discover your adoption type!
In our daily lives, the rapid development of science and technology has become a trend that cannot be ignored. This has not only affected our lifestyles, but also reshaped our attitudes towards innovation and change. The technology adoption life cycle model provides us with a framework to help us understand how different individuals respond to new technologies or innovations. This article will take a deeper look at this model and get you thinking about which type of adopter you are.
The Technology Adoption Lifecycle model describes the process by which people adopt new products or innovations based on their demographic and psychological characteristics, often presented as a “bell curve”.
This model first divides people who use new products into several groups, including "innovators", "early adopters", "early majority", "late majority" and "laggards". Each group adopts new technologies at different times and has very different characteristics.
Innovators are usually a small group with a strong spirit of adventure, high education level and financial ability. They are the first to use new technologies and are willing to take risks.
These are followed by early adopters who are often leaders in the community and have greater influence, while the early majority are relatively conservative but still open to new ideas.
Interestingly, laggards are usually less involved in social activities, have a clear resistance to technological change, and are even forced to adopt new technologies only when necessary. For example, a laggard might start using a cloud service only when it becomes the only way to complete a task, but may not necessarily have in-depth technical knowledge of how to use the service.
Since its proposal, this model has undergone many adjustments and applications. Different scholars have proposed different explanations and views on technology adoption. For example, Geoffrey Moore proposed in his book Crossing the Chasm that for some innovations that will have a significant market impact, there is a "chasm" between the two early groups of adopters.
In this case, successfully navigating this chasm means the innovation can further succeed in that vertical market. This innovation sits on an S-curve, showing its development and evolution over time.
In the area of educational technology, Lindy McKeown proposed a model of information and communication technology to illustrate the process of technology adoption in the field of education.
In medical sociology, Carl May proposed the theory of formalization process, which explains how technology is embedded and integrated in organizations such as healthcare. In addition, the technology managers mentioned in the book "Digital Habitats" are those who have sufficient understanding of available technologies and community needs to guide the community through the process of adopting technology.
However, successful technology adoption depends not only on individual awareness, but also on the influence of the people around them. People's behavior is influenced by their peers and their perception of the popularity of a particular action. For example, if two of a person's friends have adopted product A, they may be more inclined to adopt it as well. This phenomenon is reflected in models of social networks.
The history of the technology adoption life cycle can be traced back to 1956, when it was first proposed by George M. Beal and Joe M. Bohlen. The model was further developed with the research of Everett M. Rogers. His book "Diffusion of Innovations" successfully promoted this theory to a wider field and attracted widespread attention in academia and business circles.
Overall, the process of technology adoption is a complex and dynamic social phenomenon, reflecting the diversity of individuals' acceptance of new technologies and the influences behind them. So, in the face of an ever-changing technology landscape, have you found your place in this adoption lifecycle?
