Blog Post #7: Diffusion Theory

    The innovation I chose to look at is Instagram. This is currently one of the biggest apps with around 2 billion users. There have been updates since it first was released but even with those the app stayed popular while others like Twitter saw a decline of users when certain updates were introduced. 

    The first element to the Diffusion Theory is innovation. In 2010 Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched the platform. The idea first came into play when Systrom learned how to code and decided to create an idea called Burbn. This app would focus on different whiskeys and bourbons. Once he met with venture capitalists about the app they gave him the go to start his own team to focus on this. Then Krieger joined his team and they decided to switch the focus of the app to sharing photos taken on mobile devices. The next element is the adopters. During the initial stage of the app the adopters of the app were people with the iPhone 3, therefore the quality of the images being posted were very low. The way it was possible to add filters to the low quality images was part of the reason for the apps success. The next element is communication channels. The communication channels used on this platform would be the posts being made informing users either by other users or the brand itself. The next element is time. In this instance, the time for the growth on the app was instantly. Within the first day 25,000 users signed up. And the final element is social system. These are the influences that can strongly influence the user. On Instagram these would be seen as social media influencers that post about a certain product and makes their followers want to go out and buy it.

    This was one of the first photo sharing apps to come out since Facebook. Since it came with different features than Facebook like getting to edit the photos you took then directly share it many people enjoyed that. Once more features came out people began to see it was something more unique. In 2012 Facebook bought the app and began to make more changes. Some of these changes included posting videos, going live, and direct messaging. With these features added it made the app a form of all different platforms combining like how Snapchat had the story feature as well. 

    Some people choose not to join the app at all. For many social media has become a toxic place that they do not enjoy anymore. Constantly looking at pictures of people that can be highly edited to make them look like the best version of themself makes users feel worse about themselves. Many people realize that social media is not real life but that does not help the negative effects that come with it. Another reason people do not like this is because they find themself constantly scrolling through their phone. While it is a good way to keep up with family you may not see all the time it can also be a problem arguing with them over things like politics. 

    While there are some negative sides to this there are also some positive benefits. When it comes to brands and companies Instagram is one of the best ways to get the brand out there and connect with people. Having that engagement with other users is a good look for a company that many people like and look out for. It is also a great way to advertise products. Sending things to people with large followings is very helpful and many times their followers will go and buy the product. From a personal standpoint you can create your own type of brand and your own image.  

   

Overall I would say the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to this. The positives for this circle back to careers that some people have gained from this. The average pay of a person who has 500,000+ followers is anywhere from $3,000 - $10,000 a year. At the end of the day a person getting an income from the app can be more beneficial compared to a person just being able to delete the app whenever and not lose anything. It can also depend on the person but for me personally I say the positives outweigh the negatives.