Blog #8

 How the Phonograph Caught On; The Diffusion Theory

Throughout the Diffusion Theory, we can see how the phonograph spread throughout society in the late 1800's and early 1900's. the phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, but it was not an immediate success. It took time for his invention to gain acceptance by the people and become widely adopted. 

The first people to adopt the phonograph were known as the pioneers. This was Thomas Edison and those who helped and/or supported him and his ideas. He was willing to take a risk and spend a great amount of his time experimenting on this. the phonograph started to spread because people how greatly it could be a benefit towards them by listening to music whenever and wherever they wanted. At the time so many people became early adopters to this because of how convenient it was for them. 

As the phonograph gained more attention and exposure, it began to attract the early adopters. These types of people are often opinion leaders within their social groups and are willing to try new inventions before they become mainstream. These people also probably found it convenient and interesting that they could have the option of listening to music that was not live. These people likely saw the potential of the phonograph for entertainment and communication. They helped to spread awareness of the technology to others. 

As the technology continued to gain acceptance, it reached the early majority stage of the Diffusion Theory. This group is typically more conservative than early adopters and not as willing to try out new inventions, but are still willing to try new inventions if they see a great benefit. The early majority likely saw the phonograph as a convenient and enjoyable way to listen to music and other audio recordings as they continued to influence others to purchase it.

The late majority are even more conservative than the early majority and are often not as willing to try new inventions. However, as the phonograph became more popular, widely used, available, and affordable it became more appealing to them. The late majority saw the benefits of the phonograph and began to also use it as a form of entertainment and communication. 

Finally, the laggards are the last group to adopt new inventions. They are often very resistant to change and may not see the value of these ideas until they become widely accepted. Laggards were the last to adopt the phonograph. This could have been due to the fact that they could not financially afford it and had to wait for it to become more affordable, they could have preferred to only listen to music live, or the fact the the majority of the people they knew using the phonograph caused them to consider it. Those who did not purchase it at the time could have also gone to a family or friends house who owned one and used theirs.

Overall, the Diffusion Theory can help to explain how the phonograph spread through society. Starting at its early adoption by the pioneers and early adaptors to its eventual acceptance by the late majority and laggards. This theory shows how different groups of individuals adopt new inventions at different stages, and how these inventions become more widely accepted overtime. There are different reasons for why each invention takes a different amount of time to widely spread.