The Diffusion of Innovation in the Era of Social Networks; A case study of VIMML’s adoption process
Abstract
This inquiry aims to study the adoption process of a new social application in
the Swedish market. By examining the case study of VIMML, a startup that
launched the first Swedish anonymous social network in the cities of Karlstad,
Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö, the thesis focuses on the user behavior in
the decision process of downloading a new social application. The research is
deeply contextualized in the theoretical framework of the diffusion of innovation
and attempt to understand which are the new factors that the digital era brings
to the well-known model of innovation decision process theorized by Rogers
(2003). Drawing specific attention to the social network market, this model is
applied to the VIMML’s case study and, with the cooperation of the startup,
empirical findings are used to endorse the theory. As the result of the research,
the model used in the theory is subjected to some changes when applied to
VIMML. Moreover, the thesis merges these new characteristics of the model
with the findings of the most recent studies regarding the needs satisfaction that
affect the adoption process of a social network. Thanks to a qualitative and
quantitative research the results are validated for the case of the social platform
VIMML and the generalization to the market of social networks is left to future
researches. The inquiry concludes with some managerial implications for the
startup.
Degree
Master 2-years
Other description
MSc in Innovation and Industrial Management
Collections
View/ Open
Date
2016-09-30Author
Pascucci, Piero
Keywords
Innovation adoption process
Social network
Startup
Diffusion of innovation
Series/Report no.
Master Degree Project
2016:64
Language
eng