Diffusion of Innovation of Commitment Ceremonies

Diffusion of Innovation of Commitment Ceremonies

Jack Williams

York College

MSOM 30

November 11, 2012

Professor David Wooden

Introduction to Commitment Ceremony

A commitment ceremony does not strive to take the commitment out of marriage, only the law and the name by which it stands. It's a public celebration in which an adult couple declares lifelong commitment and love for one another without any legal implications, which also renders them from any legal rights or responsibilities. It can take place in many ways from a ritual to bless the event to a big party, and can even resemble a traditional wedding celebration in every way, except there is no marriage license and the participants' legal status does not change. Whether simple or elaborate, the ceremony typically includes the option of a marriage officiant, speeches made by friends and/or relatives, reflective readings, promises of commitment and personal pledges, exchange of gifts or symbolic items, cultural themes or traditional rituals.

Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures (O’Sullivan & Dooley, 2009). A respected scholar and professor of sociology, Everett Rogers, first propagated the theory in 1962 with his book Diffusion of Innovations. He stated that “diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system; when a radical new product is launched into the marketplace, it can be adopted by various customer segments during its life cycle” (Rogers, 1983). In 1983, Rogers lists five such segments: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggars. In 1997, Rogers identifies five characteristics of the diffusion of a new innovation into the marketplace. They are: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability.

Relative Advantage

Within Roger’s research, he defined and characterized Relative Advantage as the degree to which it is perceived as better then the idea it supersedes. The degrees of Relative Advantage may be measured in economic terms, but social prestige, convenience and satisfaction are also important factors (Roger, 1983).

The innovation is thought to have been borne out of increasing incidence of divorce now known as “the divorce revolution,” according to results of a Rutgers University study. Sociologists assigned the moniker in recognition of a cavalier philosophy that swept through Western society that no longer views divorce as the stigma it once