Blog 7 : Diffusion of Innovations

        This week in class we discussed Roger’s theory, the diffusion of innovations. According to Investopedia, the diffusion of innovations theory is described as a “hypothesis outlining how new technological and other advancements spread throughout societies and cultures, from introduction to widespread adoption” (Halton). This theory started off as a communication theory, but then quickly evolved into this elaborate theory which can be used for many different things. His theory can also be a very useful tool. Therefore, it can be used to explain innovations and or presentations. It was fun to practice this theory in class. We looked at the chart and thought about today’s controversy and ideas that could fit. I decided to fit the popular social media app TikTok into this model. TikTok has become a huge success over the past few years. TikTok is an app where users can create short videos, where you can add music or popular sounds.  

        The first section of the model starts with the pioneers. The pioneers are the ones who invented it and ultimately want people’s attention! Zhang Yiming is the creator of the app. With the help of his company, ByteDance he launched the app in 2018.  He originally oversaw the similar app Musical.ly, but then transformed it into what we know as today as TikTok. Since the introduction of TikTok, its platform’s success has skyrocketed. I read a Forbes article called, “TikTok: Why The Enormous Success?”, and it stated “According to our recently launched Digital 2020 report, TikTok boasts over 800 million monthly active users–up 300 million from January 2019” (Forbes). Yiming would be the pioneer because he wanted to reinvent Musical.ly for the better. He saw the success Musical.ly brought and knew he could make his platform even better. 

        Moving up the chart we meet the early adopters. The early adopters are the ones who saw the potential and utility of the invention or idea. The early adopters would be the younger generations who supported TikTok. The younger generations loved the app’s concept and started creating popular dances and trends. As a result, this influenced more to download the app and create. According to the Influencer Marketing Hub, “In October 2018, it was the most-downloaded photo and video app in the Apple store, globally” (Geyser). Not to mention, some kids have become famous because of their TikTok content. Moving along, the early majority would be other businesses and the users who became famous using the app. For example, Charlie. D’Amelio. D’Amelio is a 17-year-old girl dancer who downloaded the app during the height of quarantine. To keep entertained, D’Amelio kept up with the TikTok dance trends and started posting videos of herself. Before she knew it, D’Amelio videos views were top of the charts and started getting recognized by other platforms. I read an article on The Cold Wire, which stated D’Amelio “was the first creator to ever reach 50 million followers on the platform, which she achieved in only seven months” (The Cold Wire). This motivated other users to start posting more and become a TikTok star like D’Amelio. 

        The next section is the late majority. The late majority are other people or businesses who are starting to see their app's potential and want to be like them. I think the late majority are other popular social media platforms. For example, Instagram today has now introduced “reels” where you can post short videos like TikTok. I feel other competitors will soon start to implement features like TikTok for competition. I feel they recognized TikTok was taking over the social media market and wanted to do something so they could be in the same playing field. The final section is the laggards. The laggards are those you think won't benefit them using it. I feel the laggards are the older generations.  This app is mainly dominated by young adults. I know my parents see no need for it, but I disagree. I tried introducing my parents to the app, but they were quickly unamused. I think the app is very immature at times, so that’s why I feel it’s mainly used by the younger ages. Sadly, it can also be a very negative outlet and can promote cyberbullying. However, I believe the app has changed social media and marketing for the better. TikTok is a remarkable marketing outlet and has promoted many small businesses and their products especially during quarantine. I think TikTok has changed social media for the better and created an expressive outlet for users to be themselves and create new content! I believe businesses will follow TikTok’s footsteps and relate to their success for the future.

Sources:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/diffusion-of-innovations-theory.asp

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomtaulli/2020/01/31/tiktok-why-the-enormous-success/?sh=1f759f0e65d1

https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-tiktok/#toc-2

https://www.thecoldwire.com/why-is-charli-damelio-famous/