《《diffusion of innovation》.pdf

26 Diffusion of Innovations Everett M. Rogers University of New Mexico Arvind Singhal University of Texas – El Paso and Margaret M. Quinlan Ohio University A chapter in Don Stacks and Michael Salwen (Eds) (in press). An integrated approach to communication theory and research. New York: Routledge. Everett M. Rogers and Diffusion of Innovations This chapter is dedicated to our senior co-author Everett M. Rogers, a prolific scholar of communication and social change and a wonderful human being, who passed away in Albuquerque, NM in October 2004 (Photo 26-1). Best known for his book, Diffusion of Innovations (published in the fifth edition in 2003), Ev Rogers’ life – all 73 years – represented a curious engagement with the topic of innovation diffusion. The story begins on the family Pinehurst Farm in Carroll, Iowa, where Ev Rogers 1 was born on March 6, 1931 . The Great Depression was raging, and life on Pinehurst Farm was tough for everyone, especially for a young Ev, who was responsible for carrying out such daily chores as milking cows, feeding chickens, and cleaning the barn. Ev credited that daily hard work ethic, learned early on an Iowa farm, to his illustrious scholarly career, complete with 36 books, over 300 peer-reviewed essays, and countless 1 research reports. Who would now believe that Ev almost never went to College? He would have stayed home and farme