Blog #8 Diffusion of Innovations Theory

Diffusion of Innovations 

The Diffusion of Innovation is a theoretical model that helps us analyze the way in which a new idea or trend gains momentum within our society. It is a fantastic theory as it can be applied to just about any topic, whether that be ideology such as the idea that slavery in America must end, to digital apps and trends such as the new emerging TikTok social media application. 

Step 1: The Pioneers

The beginnings of TikTok actually did no begin as "TikTok" but rather an app called "Musical.ly." Musical.ly was created in Shanghai, China, and began as a medium for users to post 15-second lip syncs to popular songs. During this time, Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang, founders of the app, had reached approximately 70 million downloads by 2016. At the same time, another app called Douyin was created in China which served as a short-form video-sharing app. Essentially, TikTok was the brainchild of these two apps and eventually came to the US when it merged in conjunction with Musical.ly.

Step 2: Early Adopters

At the time TikTok began emerging, all the profiles from Music.ly were moved to TikTok which resulted in a lot of users being accidental early adopters. However, TikTok did not get its momentum here, in fact, in 2018 many users abandoned the app after 30 days because of the lack of activity and change in in-app capabilities. 

Step 3: Early Majority

TikTok really got its momentum and success with the help of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although TikTok was steadily increasing in usage due to new trends such as dances and the rise of new influencers, the early majority began amidst the pandemic in hopes of providing and creating content for those stuck in quarantine. In fact, TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. To illustrate this speed, in February 2019, TikTok reached its first billion downloads and by the first quarter of 2020, the app had a 58% increase from the previous quarter. This early majority population consisted of Gen Z making up 41% of TikTok users aged between 16-24. 

Step 4: Late Adopters

It was near the end of quarantine when the population pool widened and millennials and even boomers began using the platform. Currently, roughly 26.5 out of 500 million monthly active users of TikTok are from the USA. In less than 18 months, the number of US adult users of TikTok grew 5.5 times. This has created a change in content with more expansion of trends ranging from dance TikTtoks and Gen Z humor, to an entire facet of TikTok often referred to as "Mom TikTok." There are even elderly utilizing and producing content on this app because of its entertainment capabilities. 

Step 5: Laggards

Although we are still in the thick of a pandemic, once quarantine restrictions began lifting, the speed in which TikTok was being downloaded started to slow down. With this new transition of learning how to live in a pandemic while still working and fulfilling responsibilities, TikTok current users have remained loyal, but there are still some laggards who are joining surely but slowly. Most interesting, but many companies are using TikTok as a means to advertise on the app but also as a way to create and develop ads for their own products through video capabilities.