The creation of social tipping points: Rethinking influence (Part 4) – from the second edition of Viral Change™ (2008)

-These blog entries over the next weeks are featuring some added pages to Viral Change – Second edition which will be in the market towards mid August. This is part 4 of these series


The Early Adopter model. This one sits somewhere in between the two mentioned above. The Early Adopter model is a favourite in the technology arena as a way to indicate that some people are more prone than others to initiate usage of a new technology. But it doesn’t have to be limited to technology adoption. Some of the examples in the iPod’s case above could well be categorised under early adopters. The terminology is so well-known that it is impossible to bury it in other models, but this model 3 borrows heavily from 1 and 2. The main subtle difference between the Opinion Leader and the Early Adopter is that the former is somehow more conscious and proactive, while the latter is more unconscious and reactive. The simple equation here would be:

Early Adopters x Critical Mass = Change