Fear of social disapproval slows innovation adoption more than access does

Evidence

Rogers’s research implies that most people aren’t particularly excited to take up innovations at the time of their introduction. … What slows down adoption by majorities? They often have unequal access to information and different levels of trust in technology. But status also plays a major role. By definition, innovations pose a challenge to established conventions—to use hybrid seed corn is a distinctive act when everyone uses open-pollinated seed corn. Thus individuals may worry that switching will lead to social disapproval, even when there are clear practical benefits to doing so. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 531

Categorization

• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Opting out of big-tech tools violates modern social norms — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 538; Status anxiety can delay adoption of well-known useful technologies by years — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 529; Effective community norms constrain behavior and suppress beneficial innovation — Coleman, SocialCapitalCreation-1988, 110 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Effective community norms constrain behavior and suppress beneficial innovation #corroborates (0.85) — Coleman, SocialCapitalCreation-1988, 110
• Social capital constrains behavior even as it enables it, reducing innovativeness. #corroborates (0.82) — Coleman, SocialCapitalCreation-1988, 111