Blog 6: Diffusion of Innovation Theory & Social Media

Facebook is one of the world's most popular social media platforms. It was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and quickly outshined MySpace, another popular social media network at the time. By 2008, Facebook had become the dominant platform; however, its popularity has declined over the years due to the introduction of other major social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory, popularized by Everett Rogers in his 1962 book, can explain Facebook's growth and decline over the years. This theory explains how ideas and innovations spread over time within social systems. According to Rogers, the process of spreading ideas and innovations is called diffusion. The dissemination of these ideas and innovations to adopters requires social capital, time, and effective communication channels.

Rogers categorizes adopters into different groups based on how quickly they embrace new ideas or innovations. The first group is the innovators, who devise the ideas or innovations. Next are the early adopters, who accept the ideas or innovations early on. The early majority follows, consisting of more people who adopt the ideas or  innovations after seeing them accepted by the early adopters. The late majority takes their time to embrace the new ideas or innovations, and finally, the laggards are the last to accept them.

Facebook's global spread can be illustrated through Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation theory. Facebook attracted many early adopters, reaching 1 million users within its first year. This number steadily increased over the years, making Facebook the most used social media platform by 2013. From 2005 to 2013, the number of monthly users grew from 6 million to 1.23 billion. By the end of 2021, Facebook had 2.93 billion users.

Several factors contributed to Facebook's success in surpassing other popular social media platforms like LiveJournal, Friendster, and MySpace. Facebook capitalized on the wave of social networking already created by its predecessors, benefiting from the increased availability of broadband and internet penetration. The platform's creators also learned from the mistakes of others, such as avoiding rapid expansion and addressing underlying technological issues. Additionally, Facebook's interface was clean and non-customizable, which appealed to many users. The platform was marketed to specific segments, starting with high school and college students and later expanding to corporate employees. Regular innovations, such as adding new tools and technologies, also helped attract early majority users.

The late adoption of Facebook was influenced by age restrictions and the presence of other popular social networks. Initially, Facebook restricted users based on age, allowing only those 18 and older to join. This criteria was later reduced to 13 years. These age restrictions, along with the availability of other social media platforms, caused many people to delay using Facebook. Some individuals were also hesitant to join due to perceived security issues, inappropriate content, lack of interest, perceived uselessness, lack of control, peer influence, privacy concerns, and cultural or religious beliefs.

Despite these challenges, Facebook managed to spread its usage worldwide. While the platform offers many benefits, such as helping users stay in touch with family and friends, sharing pictures and videos, and accessing helpful information, it is not as popular with today's young adults. Many prefer platforms like Instagram and SnapChat. Facebook's evolution and user base changes reflect the broader trends in social media adoption and usage over time.