Modeling Adoption and Diffusion: A Multiple-Relation Approach

Previous studies on adoption and diffusion of a new product in a social network commonly assumed a single tie between a pair of actors. That means they only looked at one type of relation, while analyzing a diffusion process. However, we may have multiple ties between a pair of actors as multiple relations can arise from different modes of interaction or because of different roles people play within a network setting. Building on the IS literature on adoption and diffusion, the statistical literature on social network analysis, and the sociology literature on multiple relationships, this study proposes a new approach to develop a dynamic adoption model in a context of multiple relations. To this end, the study remodels the three well-discussedsocial forces of the diffusion process, including network effect, neighborhood effectand adopter effect (the self-influence by the potential adopter) in a way that reflects a significant role of the multiple-relation context.