The lens of diffusion

 Diffusion is a scientific term referring to the process where molecules move from a high concentration to an area of low concentration. However, the lens of diffusion theory is an idea of how a product or innovation infiltrates society and it can examine the monopolization of an industry. The movement of this theory has categories in a parabola diffusion as follows: experiment, uptake, tipping point, maturation and saturation.  All products, movements, and innovations are moved through this diffusion theory and we can see examples of where products failed, and where they have succeeded. 

Many new innovations and ideas often fail with the general population. Sometimes new ideas are not as widely accepted and have a hard time infiltrating society and spreading to the mass public.  For example, Bic for Her was a massive failure that never really fully reached the uptake stage of diffusion. Some would even say that it was a failed experiment. The main reason that Bic for Her was a massive failure is the overlooked blatant misgnony rooted in their marketing message. This was the sole contender  that ruined the product line and did not allow the product to move into maturation. Well, that and the fact that a pen is a pen and not a gendered product. 

However, not every product or innovation ends up a flop. Facebook has portrayed a rather successful infiltration of the market and almost too well that the app has almost reached its saturation point. Facebook has close to 3 billion users, which is close to half the world's population. As facebook becomes more and more popular, the app will plateau in infiltration, which will mean that the market will slowly die off and facebook cannot expand into new territories and make more money. Saturation is the danger zone for large businesses and corporations and causes CEO to stay awake at night. 

Facebook's main appeal was its innovation of the time. It was the first social media app to online check-ins of friends and became a popular spot to post updates and statuses. Facebook mainly caught on through it's early adopters and by word of mouth the popularity spread throughout the country and eventually the world.  Late adopters, most likely were reluctant to join possibility due to age or access. Some might even boycott Facebook all together because of the invasion of privacy and corruption that the company has been prone too. As aforementioned, Facebook is running out of customers to sell too. Probably because the remaining population of the world that does not use facebook are either underage or simply do not have access to the internet.