Kindle/E-Books Through The Lens of Diffusion Theory (8)

Kindle is an electronic E-Book reading device and the most popular e-reading device in American culture. While many readers still hold pride in their physical book collections, many people have switched completely to e-reading. 

Diffusion Theory is a bell curve placed on a graph with time as the x-axis and penetration as the y-axis.

 

It moves through several different periods: Pioneers, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Adopters, and Laggards. Additionally, as we follow the bell curve, we move through 5 different phases: Experimental Period, Uptake Period, Tipping Point, Maturation Phase, and Saturation Phase.

Thinking about the application of Diffusion Theory to e-readers, our pioneer era began in the late 1990s with readers such as "Rocket ebook" and "Palm Pilot". While initial excitement is documented, these did not affect the book market. 

In 2006, Sony launched the "Sony Reader", adding an e-book store to their device. This would push us into our early adopters period, as this reader, being more developed, was more popular. 

The heart of our early adopters phase began when Amazon launched their Kindle e-reader in 2007. They also launched a large library of popular books, gaining attention and interest from readers. The innovation of Kindle spiked e-book sales, moving them up to 20% after 5 years. Soon after, Kindle went international and added more popularity to this product. This spike moves us into our Early Majority phase. 

Following this popularity, we move into our Late Adopters phase around the mid-2000s. With Kindle's growing updates and innovations, Kindle became more popular to those looking for leisurely, easy reading. With Kindle being portable and having easy library access, Kindle became a no-brainer investment for reading. Additionally, Kindle can be seen as more eco-friendly, as it does not need paper resources to produce its product. 

Our Late Adopters and Laggards would begin with the uptake in TikTok popularity, beginning in roughly 2020 and moving through the past 5 years. I personally have seen many TikTok videos influencing viewers to invest in a Kindle e-reader. 

I, personally, have not invested in a Kindle e-reader. I love to read, but prefer reading physical books. My mom, being considered a "Laggard", recently bought a Kindle and enjoys how easy it is to access different books.