The foundations of the diffusion theory | Digital Letterpress: Part 10
Hello again, everyone. A few weeks back I ended my last post with an announcement that Digital Letterpress posts would slack off for a bit. I’m happy to say that I’m back in regular form now and will be updating the blog every week for the next couple months. In the same vein as from the very beginning, I will be discussing the role of media in our ability and tendencies to communicate with one another as a society. Welcome to another couple months of Digital Letterpress.
That being said, I would like to first look at the of diffusion. What is diffusion? According to Dr. Everett Rogers in his book, Diffusion of Innovations, diffusion can be defined as “the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.” This idea describes the way industries release new creations to the public for consumption as well as the way those creations spread from consumer to consumer. To get an idea of what diffusion looks like in action, one may look at an industry founded around new and multi-purpose media: video gaming.
The landscape of modern gaming has shifted drastically in the last ten to fifteen years with the development of social media and online communities. Thanks to the connectedness provided by the aforementioned digital innovations, game developers and game consumers have never been closer. Game creation has become more iterative, collaborative, and community-centric. Not only is there strong communication between maker and consumer, but there is powerful communication from consumer to consumer. Such a powerful connection is where the idea of diffusion comes into play (pun completely not intended).
Reviewing Dr. Rogers Diffusion of Innovations, Greg Orr presents a consumer’s decision-making process as being broken into five steps: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. This process takes a potential game buyer all the way from the “awareness” stage to a stage of use and potentially positive feedback.
How are game-makers capitalizing on diffusion? They use modern media platforms to take audiences through Orr’s five-step process. Their secret, however, lies in who they initially target. Gameplay streaming has exploded in popularity through services such as YouTube or Twitch, and now, gamers watch millions of hours of game footage played by their favorite online personalities. Individuals now make careers off monetizing their YouTube game playthroughs, livestreams, podcasts, etc. They hold great influence over their audiences with their experiences and opinions. Game developers are learning to create relationships with these “bridges” between themselves and mass consumers. Games now may be created around the idea that they will be watched as well as played. But why? Why invest in online “celebrities?”
The answer? Those “celebrities” are considered opinion leaders and drive sales.
If the opinion leaders observe that the innovation has been effective for the innovators, then they will be encouraged to adopt. This group earns respect for its judicious, well-informed decision-making, and hence this group is where most opinion leaders in a social system reside (264). Much of the social system does not have the inclination or capability to remain abreast of the most recent information about innovations, so they instead trust the decisions made by opinion leaders. -Greg Orr
Consumers now watch their favorite gamers online and listen to those gamers’ opinions. Consumers will then turn around and purchase or not purchase based on the trusted review of the online personality. Bad experiences by the game streamer lead to negative opinions and leads to negative sales. Positive outlook by a streamer, however, can greatly improve the success of a game by driving public opinion.
One such game that has seen massive success thanks to the existence of game-streaming is Minecraft. A 2014 article from ctvnews.ca entitled “Minecraft: Why are kids, and educators, so crazy for it?” heralds it as being “the third most popular computer game of all time (after Tetris and Wii Sports)” (Mulholland). The fascinating thing about Minecraft is that it isn’t popular for its stunning visuals or industry-altering mechanics. Its magic lies in its fun-factor, its ease of access, and its ease of use. And much of its success has been driven by communities streaming gameplay online. Consumers watch those playthoughs and decide to get it for themselves.
Minecraft exemplifies the five characteristics of innovation success presented by Les Robinson in his “A summary of Diffusion of Innovation.” Robinson’s five categories are as follows:
- Relative Advantage
- Compatibility with existing values and practices
- Simplicity and ease of use
- Trialability
- Observable Results
Opinion leaders help with the first two characteristics. Their influence causes viewers to believe that the game is not only worth having, but that not having it is tragic. They also present how familiar Minecraft can be. Even for someone logging in for the first time, it feels like hundreds of other games. It also uses common controls and mechanics so as not to distract from the experience. Amid the familiarity, it manages to explore many new ideas and innovations. Once a consumer has it in his or her hands, the next two of Robinson’s characteristics take over. Minecraft is so simple at its core idea. Players chop trees, mine, and dig all in an effort to turn around and build. The game’s accessibility allow it to be popular among children as well as adults. Since the game is available on PCs, consoles, tablets, and smartphones, potential buyers have no shortage of opportunity to play the game. Trial versions also help to sell the experience, allowing players to get a feel for the game before actually purchasing.
The last of Robinson’s characteristics, observable results, is perhaps where Minecraft shines the most. The game is almost immediately gratifying. It doesn’t take a science degree to build something impressive in the game, and with the internet, a player is a few clicks away from sharing their in-game creations with the world. The community continues to drive the popularity because of the results the game provides. Although Minecraft has already been featured in millions of hours of streamed gameplay, its viewing never gets stale because every player has a new and unique experience within the world.
Minecraft is just one example of how the gaming industry has embraced the idea of diffusion through new media and technology. The industry as a whole understands the importance of providing opinion leaders with interesting content to share with social circles. And if enough positive opinions circulate, a game will gain enough traction to hit the desired domino effect of success. As posited by Dr. Rogers, opinion leaders–or early adopters–may only comprise 13.5% of an innovation’s consumption, but that category may be the most important because it directly influences the actions of the early and late majority (a combined 68% of consumption).
What’s the take-away? Interestingly enough, products or ideas don’t necessarily have to reach everyone all at once. Instead, they can speak to a select few who then champion them to the rest of society.
