distinctions. Unfortunately, while

distinctions. Unfortunately, while these discourses are more robust and more firmly
grounded in evidence, they are without the same rhetorical power to capture the
attention and imagination of the mass media press and technological communities.
In particular, they are far less commonly seen and read by computer professionals
and policymakers than the utopian/anti-utopian analyses, leading Kling to comment
that, "It is ironic that computing— often portrayed as an instrument of knowledge—
is primarily the subject of a popular and professional literature which (sic) are
heavily weighted towards the genres whose knowledge claims are the most suspect."
1.3.2 Technological Adoption and Diffusion
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or
more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a
new order of things.
— Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532)
One major focus of study has been the adoption and diffusion of new technologies.
Diffusion studies seek to model the process by which an innovation or set
of innovations is adopted by individuals or organizations.7 Most diffusion studies
focus on one specific innovation, whether technical, structural or procedural.
Organizational innovation research studies the mechanisms of and factors involved
in the adoption and routinization of computing technologies in the workplace. This
body of research has considered the factors of organizations and features of innovations
which facilitate or inhibit adoption and the characteristics of early, late, and
middle adopters. It has evaluated the utility of various communication channels