How Technology Clusters Affect Diffusion

 This week, our reading included a chapter from Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. Specifically, the lesson focused on how novel ideas can spread amongst a population, which Everett defines as diffusion. 

One aspect of the reading I was fascinated by is how Everett incorporates the idea of technology clusters. Everett defines a technology cluster as a group of different elements of closely related technology. I think it acknowledges something significant about innovations; they are rarely singular or created in a technological vacuum. The book uses the example of the Green Revolution to illustrate this. In this situation, farmers in Third World countries adopted new rice and wheat, leading to the increased food supply. Still, these new miracle plants' success was also reliant on the successful diffusion of new types of fertilizer and pesticides (Everett 15). While all of these innovations developed independently of each other, their diffusion relied on the presence of one another. While past diffusion resources have focused on studying innovations as singular entities, it is paramount that we consider Everett's theory of technology clusters, especially in our current technological landscape (Everett 15).

Another illustration of his theory is the evolution and widespread adoption of electronic computers in the late 20th century. For much of the century, computers existed and in use in corporate and military settings; however, their ungainly size and limited applications made them inconvenient for non-specialists use. While business and military institutions were early adopters due to the technology's applicability in their specialized fields, it was not until the 1970s that the early majority of electronic computing appeared (Computers). Everett states that innovation successfully reaches the early majority when it becomes more user-friendly and maximizes simplicity. At this point, electronic computers were incorporating more features that made this accessibility possible. The Apple Macintosh, for instance, introduced the mouse, was based upon the Motorola 68000 microprocessor (which allowed for a graphical user interface), and featured programs designed around "What you see is what you get" word processing (Computers). Likewise, the late majority of the population would become receptive when electronic computers had evolved to a point where they could be applicable in everyday life. The example of electronic computing demonstrates the limits of ignoring technology clusters when discussing diffusion theory. While computers have existed for decades, they only spread throughout the population because they incorporated a variety of different innovations over time. Electronic computers also demonstrate the concept of re-invention, the degree to which a user modifies an innovation while using it (Everett 17). It is a coincidence that diffusion scholars adopting this theory coincides with personal computers making the jump to the early majority in the 1970s. Many giant leaps in computing technology build upon previous generations' contributions, such as how the Macintosh utilized IBMs microprocessor's innovation to create a new product (Computers).

On more minor scales, viewing innovations as independent technology can still have advantages; it allows for more concise and in-depth analysis. But suppose an innovation spreads among a large enough population. In that case, its success invariably relies on interacting with pre-existing technology, especially for more complex ideas that evolve from constant re-invention. The history of electronic computers demonstrates that ideas are fluid. As they diffuse, they change shape and mix with other ideas.

Sources:

“Computers: Timeline of Computer History: Computer History Museum.” Computers | Timeline of Computer History | Computer History Museum, Computer History Museum, www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/.

Rogers, Everett M. “Elements of Diffusion.” Diffusion of Innovations, 4th ed., Simon & Schuster Inc., U.S., 2012, pp. 14–17, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v1ii4QsB7jIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR15&dq=diffusion+of+innovations&ots=DJYtrPQr7O&sig=IcXwbeoTi0L3WI-TZjhqTV0jvn0#v=onepage&q=diffusion%20of%20innovations&f=false.