The Illusion of Diffusion in Information Systems Research

Diffusionism is a dominant set of concepts that profoundly influence the way we see the world, including those concerned with the design, construction and implementation of information systems. An analysis of the citations from a sample of the literature suggests that claims that diffusion research is a mature domain of study may be wildly exaggerated. This contribution provides an alternative view of diffusionism as an amalgam of pseudo-scientific justifications for European colonial expansionism between the 16th and 19th centuries. Rogers, often regar1ded as the ‘high priest’ of diffusion, is merely one link in a long and inauspicious tradition that owes its existence to inequitable views of the world that include racism, slavery, exploitation and more. This paper describes something of this background and considers what this might mean for IS research and practice.