Diffusion Theory looks at technologies and how they are adopted or not. This does so by looking at the technology’s key components: Pioneers, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Adopters, and Laggers. And what better way to look at this theory than by looking at a product of a bygone era.
The Compact Cassette (or better referred to as cassette tapes). In September of 1963, this was a new format for audio recording and playback developed by a company called Royal Philips in Belgian but wouldn’t be mass-produced until 1965. This took the ideas present in reel to reel tape recorder but compacted it and was made to be more reliable. The initial purpose of this device was for dictation and voice recordings.
These wouldn’t just give consumers the ability to listen to their music on the go, but also an opportunity to make their own recordings and playlists. So as the technology for cassette tapes improved, it is no surprise their spread and popularity grew as well.
Some people who were hesitant about this new form of media may have not seen any use of it. With the ability to have a record player at home and a radio in the car it would seem like having this device may be pointless. Also, the personal recording aspect of the cassette tapes could be intimidating for consumers who are just casual listeners and don’t see themselves using them for that reason. It could also be seen by some as dangerous, having access to music wherever you go and not being aware of your surroundings of everyday life.
This form of audio technology had peaked its popularity in the 1980s but then came to a screeching halt with the invention of CDs in the 1990s. But today the cassette is still kickin’ as black tapes are still being manufactured and sold and big named artists sell tape versions of their new albums at select stores (I even have a few of my own I have collected through the years). It almost seems like cassettes are trying to catch the wave of resurgences that vinyl has been able to create in recent years.
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