Diffusion Communications in Animal Advocacy
In this paper, scholar Alexandria Graff makes a case for applying Everett Rogers’ theory of the “diffusion of innovations” to animal advocacy. Taking veganism / animal rights as an “innovation,” Graff maps Rogers’ theory in relation to animal advocacy and offers a multitude of new ways for advocates to see their work. Though diffusion theory has often been a way of thinking about technological innovations – for example, we use diffusion theory when we are thinking of “early adopters” of new technologies or apps – it is very much applicable to the diffusion of social movements and their related ideas.
Synthesized by Everett Rogers after decades of research in communications, diffusion theory is a way of understanding how innovations spread through social networks. Diffusion is divided into various stages, and categorizes people as different actors who play distinct roles. In this paper, Alexandria Graff maps this concept onto animal advocacy, treating veganism as a societal “innovation,” and attempting to show how diffusion theory may lead to new strategies for animal advocates: “An understanding and strategic utilization of diffusion can be a powerful tool for crafting the most effective messages in specific campaigns, persuading individuals to adopt a new framework for thinking and interacting with non-human animals, recruiting new activists, and eventually coercing corporations and institutions to change their own practices wherein animals are involved.” Though there is virtually no other literature that makes the connection between diffusion theory and animal advocacy, Graff’s mapping of the concept onto animal advocacy is compelling.
Diffusion works through a series of five stages, each with applicability to veganism / animal rights. First is the “knowledge stage” where people and organizations are made aware of a particular innovation. Graff notes that, “through mass media outlets such as vegan cooking TV shows, social media opportunities like paid Facebook PSAs on animal agriculture issues, opinion leadership on vegan lifestyle trends from celebrities, and interpersonal outreach in the form of leafleting, veganism is permeating modern culture.” The second stage is the “persuasion stage,” which “is marked by its affective nature. Individuals begin to form subjective opinions of an innovation based especially upon its perceived relative advantages, compatibility with their values, and the complexity or simplicity of its use.” Following persuasion is the “decision stage,” which often involves a trial period of trying a new innovation before adopting it. Here Graff notes that “vegan advocacy organizations have clearly identified the importance of facilitating some trial period when designing campaigns, as we see in initiatives like Meatless Mondays and the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart.” Following this is the “implementation stage,” a deeper version of the decision phase, putting the innovation into more thorough practice. Finally, at the “confirmation stage, individuals recognize the benefits of the innovation, integrate it into existing routines, and may even promote the idea to others (thus becoming change-agents themselves).”
Graff notes that even at this point, promoting veganism could require a lot of work: “for issues perceived as contentious and socially abnormal as veganism and the philosophy of animal liberation, many individuals spend months if not years reaffirming their beliefs.” Further mapping the theory out, Graff notes that the public can be divided into different groups according to diffusion theory: early adopters (more willing to take risks, adopt innovations more quickly), the early majority (the beginning of the tipping point towards mass adoption, socially well-connected, but not necessarily in leadership roles), the late majority (much slower awareness-to-adoption rate, somewhat socially isolated and possesses next to no opinion leadership within their networks), and laggards (most socially isolated, hold no opinion leadership, adhere to traditional values, may only adopt an innovation out of pressure to conform to societal norms or because of a lack of other options). All groups play a different role at various stages of the diffusion process.
In showing how diffusion theory can apply to veganism and animal advocacy, Graff makes a strong case for further study of the two together. “Animal activism is malleable to diffusion,” she says, “and its principles, therefore, are not only possible and ready for strategic use within activism, but are already inherently at work. Activists are ultimately asking people to shift their own intrapersonal paradigms of interspecies relationships in order to facilitate a much broader paradigm shift that would lead to the end of animal use for human gain.” It is, as she notes, a “difficult proposition,” but through the use of tools such as diffusion theory, Graff hopes that advocates can better understand how their messages are perceived, spread, and ultimately adopted.
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