Blog Post #6

 

Innovation is defined as the action or process of innovating, it is known to be a new method, idea, or device. Technology has been the only thing I have known. It's funny because when I talk to my mom learning about her childhood, technology was barely a part of it. It's very interesting to grow up seeing the evolution of the technology I have used. After learning taking a deeper look into the Diffusion of Innovation theory, I was able to moreover, understand why this happens, and how innovation depends on time. The Diffusion of Innovation is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and what rate new ideas and technology spread. 

I feel that there has been a huge surge in technology because of the pandemic. For example, ask yourself, have you ever heard of "zoom" or "blackboard collaborate" before the pandemic raised? Personally, I had not, it was new technologies that most of had to learn to use, to participate in studies, classes, and also socializing with many friends. Social media also flourished during this time because it was the way we were able to communicate with friends and family, a way for small businesses to sell their items to stay in business, and also it was something we did in our free time if we weren't walking around our towns or having family movie nights. TikTok is an example of an app that flourished during this time. Personally, I had not heard of TikTok until the pandemic, but it instantly became well known for fun dances, clothing hauls, funny videos, and more.

Many people became early adopters of Snapchat and Instagram when they came out. Why? because it was perfect for the generation that were using it at the time. I say this because if you think of Facebook, it was more for the older generations, not for teenagers. Let us take a deeper look into the evolution of snapchat. On the left, you see the picture of the style of the app that has changed over the years. Snapchat is an app, created in 2011, by Stanford students, originally to send pictures that will disappear in moments. However today Snapchat is used for so many different reasons. You can message friends, post stories, create filters, read news, watch shows and so much more. I mean how crazy is that. We have watched these apps grow and flourish. The Diffusion of Innovation describes why. 

There is a downside to this, I say this because as a young kid I was still playing outside with my friends, playing with my dolls, doing things that didn't include technology. But, today children don't do this anymore, they communicate all through social media. Kids in elementary school have the best iPhones that I never would have expected to have when I was young. I find this to be negative because kids shouldn't grow up in a world surrounded by social media and technology. As for myself, I don't really involve myself too much in social media. I am one to enjoy the company of my friends and family and would rather look at a real-life thing than see it on a screen. It's the way I grew up and I want to keep it that way. I am not saying that I completely don't use social media, It is just not something that is completely a part of my life.