Social Media and Library Collaboration: Analysis of Government Libraries (Kaguvi Building)

Theoretical Framework

This chapter is premised on the diffusion of technology theory, proposed and popularised by Everett Rogers (1962). The theory explains the “adoption, application and spread of new media technologies or ideas in a community over a period of time through social structures” (Okuonghae, 2018, p. 9). According to Rogers (1962, p. 15), diffusion refers to “the course of action by which an innovation is spread through certain channels over time among the members of a social system”. The theory, which envisages that social media provides information and influences judgment, is also dependent on the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood that members of a given culture will adopt a new idea, product or practice. Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch (1974) explicate that the idea behind the diffusion of technology theory is that, for a new idea to spread there must be an awareness stage, interest stage, evaluation stage, a trial stage and an adoption stage. This theory is relevant to this chapter, because the application of social media platforms in government libraries and other information centres is a key element in the diffusion of these platforms.