The Diffusion Theory: The Telephone

 

    Diffusion theory is a theory helps us better understand how innovations spread and how we measure their success. This curve describes the rate that people join in to using whatever new innovations have come about. This theory allows for us as consumers and for innovators themselves to grasp a better understanding of the rate of which society adapts to using newer technologies.

    One technology that was extremely influential is the telephone. The telephone was extremely innovative and was unmatched in its abilities compared to the older methods of communication that people were using at that point. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876 as a means of creating a "talking telegraph". The telephone was designed as a way to reach people instantly no matter the distance. This immediately sped up communication and created an entirely new system of communication.

    

   

 This invention spread quickly due to the benefits this device offered to its users. This device solved a communication problem that people were constantly struggling with which resulted in it having a larger amount of early adopters. Before the telephone, the primary means of communication was the telegraph. The telegraph was slow and it was often long periods of time before your message was even received. The telephone removed this problem by offering direct communication at any period of time. Many people found this technology to be significantly more efficient than the other means of communication that they had been using.

    Some of the biggest reasons people came to own telephones later on is that there was still confusion as to how this technology could impact people. People had questions that couldn't be answered about the telephone such as its health risks. These are concerns people still have today when it comes to purchasing a phone. People were hesitant to use a technology that they knew nothing about.

    Telephones have still become a raging success due to how easy and fast they make communicating. Although even now people are still hesitant to give in to the world of the telephone, it is still common amongst the majority of the population. Despite its negatives, the telephone is still widely popular amongst all places and people.