The Tipping Point
Rogers (2003) states that the adoption of an innovation/change will exhibit a normal distribution on a time graph but a concept of which is being increasingly used is that of the 'Tipping Point' (Gladwell 2000). The Tipping Point is similar to the idea of the 'critical mass' which originated in physics and is defined as the amount of radioactive material necessary to produce a nuclear reaction. The 'critical mass' in innovation research indicates the point at which enough individuals in a system have adopted an innovation so that the innovation's further rate of adoption becomes self-sustaining (Anghern 2005). This is especially relevant for interactive communications technology where a critical mass of individuals must adopt the technology before the average individual can benefit from the system.
