Blog #9- Diffusion

Diffusion theory is concerned with the spread of innovation through a population. Researchers in diffusion theory have developed analytical models for explaining and forecasting the dynamics of diffusion of innovation (an idea, practice, or object perceived as new by an individual) in a socio-technical system. The new innovation that I will be looking at through the lens of the Diffusion Theory is TikTok. TikTok is a content-creating app that was started in 2018. The app really "blew up" in 2019. Why did it catch on? I believe COVID-19 had a large effect on the app. Before the pandemic, TikTok was mostly for a younger crowd and was actually looked down upon. There were several memes and jokes about the people who had the app downloaded and used it frequently. When the pandemic hit and everyone was in lockdown people were trying to find things to keep them occupied. That is when millions signed up for the content-creating app. So many people became early adopters of the app for two reasons. One was that it was taking the place of a previous app called Musically. This app consisted of users making short videos of different songs. People who knew of this app or used this app then switched to TikTok when it came out. The majority of TikTok users were late adopters as I explained with the pandemic. TikTok is an entertaining app with constant new uploads to keep you busy. Late adapters, I believe, started to see their friends use the app. which influenced them too. I was also known that creating content on this app could turn into a job. People like Charlie Diamilo,

Addison Rae, Bryce Hall, etc. all curated millions by posting videos of themselves. With any social media app, there are negative consequences. During the middle of the pandemic, it was said that China was hacking users' accounts, taking their information, storing it in a database, and even looking at you through your phone camera as you used the application. Privacy is a huge negative when it comes to any social media app. Another negative would be the use of TikTok. It has been shown that it is an addictive app and can take over your day-to-day activities. With anything positives can outway the negatives, it just depends on your personal mindset.