This chart provides an interesting comparison of the rates that different technologies were adopted in the Unites States. The steeper the line, the more quickly people adopted the technology. Compare the steepness of the lines for the cell phone and the internet with the relatively flat line for (landline) telephone. Why do you think cell phones caught on so much more quickly?
As was mentioned on page 18 of the Horrigan article when referring to increased use of the telephone in the 1980s: “This episode shows how relatively small changes in society’s technology portfolio in one area can have significant impacts in a related one. The answering machine served as an accelerant to Americans’ existing calling patterns.”
In a similar way, each new advance in technology has increased our connectivity to each other. So we learn more quickly of even newer innovations and are more likely to adopt at a faster rate.