Biography

Everett M. “Ev” Rogers (March 6, 1931 – October 21, 2004) is acknowledged as the pre-eminent authority on how innovations diffuse, or spread, in an economic or social system. His writings on the diffusion of innovations established the term “early adopter” and normalized the importance of peer-to-peer communication in the modernization process.

Rogers’ biggest contribution lies in his ability to explain how the macro-process of system change is linked to micro- (individual- and group-) level processes. Diffusion of Innovations theory is one of the very few social theories that link macro- with micro-level phenomena.

Diffusion of Innovations, is the second most cited book in the Social Science Citation Index. The book’s appeal is cross-disciplinary and global.

Rogers held faculty positions at Ohio State University (1957–63), Michigan State University (1964-1973), and the University of Michigan (1973-1975). He was the Janet M. Peck Professor of International Communication at Stanford University (1975-1985) and the Walter H. Annenberg Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California (1985-1993).