Diffusion of Innovations

When I was little, I used to love going out in the mornings to start my dad’s work pickup, because obviously when we are young, the only thing we want is to feel older. Funny how that works out, isn’t it? However, now that I am at the old age of 21, the last thing I was to do is go somewhere because that means having to be cold. When I say I love winter and the snow, I mean I love it from under a blanket in my living room by the fire. Back on track here, one new technology that I think many people can agree to love is the remote start feature for our vehicles. While this feature did come out in the 1990s and early 2000s, I feel as though it didn’t become a luxury that everyone could enjoy until later in the 2000s.

I first discovered this innovation when I was searching for a new car for college. I knew the remote start existed, so I can’t really say when I first discovered it, but I first came aware of it during my search. Since I was so late to the game, I would put myself at the “decision” stage. I have not yet decided if this technology would be a good asset since I live on campus, and there have been articles released saying that idling your car is not necessary but that driving it is the fastest way to warm it up. However, I want to warm the inside of my vehicle up while I wait next to my heater! This is all a factor of whether or not I ever reach the “confirmation” stage as well.

Since I haven’t yet implemented this innovation, another technology I’d like to discuss is the iPhone, generally. I must admit, when I first started to use the iPhone, I think I would be considered a late majority… I got my first iPhone recently, an iPhone 11 in the beautiful shade of yellow (that was the selling point, right there). My friend, on the other hand, has been team iPhone since the 4th version came out! There are a few other technologies I have fallen into different categories for. One of these, is the new and great Air Fryer. I was late to the Apple train, so I jumped on the air fryer one as soon as I could!

This assignment has clearly made me notice that even though some people say “I am always late to the trends,” we are all early adapters to at least one innovation, whether we know it or not.

Brett_Hondow / Pixabay

About Shayna (She/Her)

Hey! My name is Shayna Salazar and I am a senior at FHSU studying Digital Media and Journalism. I hope to someday become a well known (and well liked) photojournalist who inspires others much like the ones before me have inspired me. I currently live in Colorado but next month I begin my journey of travelling as a military wife! I met my husband in 6th grade and we have been best friends since then. As for my college life, I attended FHSU on campus for three years and now I am finishing up online. I can't wait for what this class brings!

One thought on “Diffusion of Innovations

  1. Hi Shayna, thanks for the post. I know that my family in Tennessee also admire the freedom of remote start. Being a Floridian, the necessity of that feature is really lost on me. It’s always sunny and warm here, outside of the 2 weeks of “cold weather” that we see here. And by cold I mean 50 degrees… Yeah, we have real thin blood. Around here I see most people leverage it as more of a status symbol. “Look what my car can do!” I’m a fan, but it’s far from a deciding factor for me I guess you would say.

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