Some authorities talk about a “chasm” between visionary early adopters and
pragmatic majorities.8 They think the chasm explains why many products are initially
popular with early adopters but crash and burn before they reach mass markets. Everett Rogers disagreed9 with the idea of a chasm. He thought early adopters and majorities
formed a continuum. However most early adopters still have radically different
interests and needs from most majorities, so even if there’s no real chasm it’s a useful
mental construct that warns us against the easy assumption that one size fits all. Once
again, what makes products or practices
spread is not persuasion. It’s the whether the
product or behaviour is being reinvented to
become easier, simpler, quicker, cheaper, and
more advantageous.