Week 11: Diffusion of Innovations

Everett Rogers’ Theory of the Diffusion of Innovations does a great job of explaining how innovation and creation play a relevant part in just how society adopts certain ideas and technologies. This Wikipedia page explains the basics of the theory; and it goes into a much more comprehensive write-up regarding the history of the theory, the role that each part of the theory plays, and the criticisms that the theory has received. To sum up the basics for anyone too lazy or unable to read the linked article; Rogers’ Theory of the Diffusion of Innovations is the idea of how exactly new ideas and technologies become more prominent in society via communication channels, time, and other factors. The image below does a better job of explaining the theory.

This image is from the Wikipedia page linked earlier in the article.

One technology that I thought could instantly apply to this model are the modern gaming consoles currently out on the market. I will be specifically discussing Microsoft’s Xbox. For this instance, I will be discussing the console over its many generations (i.e. Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, etc.). The first Xbox was released in almost 18 years ago at the time of writing this blog. The people who purchased this console could be considered the innovators. The product was an attempt to challenge the Sony PlayStation for the title of best home console. After the Xbox was released, Sony released the PlayStation 2 soon after. This kicked off what is considered the modern day, “console war.” In 2007, Microsoft released the Xbox 360. People who purchased this console would be considered early adopters and the early majority. By this time, gaming had become extremely popular due to technological innovations that allowed the market to grow at an exponential rate. In 2013, the Xbox One released alongside the PlayStation 4. People who purchased this product would be considered in the late adopters and laggards category. By this time, Xbox had already become a household name thanks to its many iterations of its previous consoles. It’s already a well known product with a devoted audience behind it. While the people who purchase an Xbox One as their first Xbox console ever are considered behind the curve, everyone who has owned a previous Xbox console usually updates to the new generation. Microsoft uses creative destruction to continually make money off its consumers. They do this in the same way that Apple does with iPhones. Basically, the company promotes and makes the purchase of its new console necessary in order to stay connected by making its previous consoles obsolete. This means that the online services for the old consoles are shut down, greatly limiting the console’s capabilities.

Personally, I think that this type of innovation is harmful to society. It's not even really innovation, it's incrementation. It keeps business booming for Xbox, yes, but video game consoles are starting to become more and more like iPhones. You buy one, then the next thing you know, a better version comes out 2-3 months later. It’s impossible to always have the newest version without breaking the bank.