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The Idea of Diffusion

What is Diffusion?

In Emergence, new functionality arises from the spontaneous
interactions of agents pursuing their own interests.

Diffusion is similar. Agents (including embedded business systems),
act spontaneously in their own interests to spread knowledge of the
emerged idea through their networks. These interactions may be

favorable or unfavorable.

These countless interactions form patterns and the process is called

diffusion. There is no one determining the end goal of this process.
Like Emergence, it is a variant of undirected stigmergic action with
individual agents “doing their own thing”.

Businesses seek to use knowledge of these observed patterns of
diffusion through the context to influence the diffusion process in their
favor.

Note: as a new idea typically displaces prior accepted ideas or offerings
that met the same need diffusion leads to the collapse of established
worldviews or a decline of business models dependent on the prior
idea.

Diffusion-displacement may be rapid or slow as practical factors (such
as replacing infrastructure or active defense of the old by adherents
with power/influence) intervene. Example, streaming technology on
the internet has been available for some time, but it is only recently
that the 'unhooking cable' movement has really made a measurable
difference to Cable TV revenues. In the sciences, this process of
displacement is known as a paradigm shift (Thomas Kuhn (1922–
1996)), as an established construct is displaced by a new one often in
the face of enormous opposition from the adherents of the old idea.

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