Briefly describe the five groups of adopters of a new technology.
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: The adopters of a new technology fall into five groups. The first group, representing approximately 2.5 percent of adopters, is the innovators. Typically, innovators are adventurous and willing to take risks. They pay a premium for latest new technology or product and champion it if they like it. The enthusiasm of innovator–adopters is no guarantee of success—for example, the product may still be too expensive for the general market. But a lack of enthusiasm in this group often signals serious problems with the new technology, and a need for further development.
The next group to adopt a new technology are early adopters. This group is crucial it includes well-respected opinion leaders. Early adopters often are those whom others look to for leadership, up-to-date technological information, and suggestions.
The next group to adopt is the early majority. These adopters are more deliberate, taking longer to decide to use something new. Often, they are important members of a community or industry, but not the leaders. It may take a while for the technology or new product to spread to this group, but once it does, use will begin to proliferate into the mainstream.
The next group is the late majority. These members of this group are more skeptical of technological change and approach innovation with great caution, often adopting only because of economic necessity or social pressure.
The final 16 percent are laggards. Often isolated and highly conservative in their views, laggards are extremely suspicious of innovation and change.
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Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
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