Both social structures and people’s beliefs affect the diffusion of innovations, but few studies have been able to understand how these dual influences operate simultaneously. Understanding this simultaneity is important because sustainable practices are influenced by the processes of social learning which build on individual interactions to become embedded in communities of practice. We combined social network and cultural consensus analyses to understand the diffusion of information on “cleaner” cookstoves in eight villages located within a micro-watershed of Kullu District in Himachal Pradesh, India. First, using social network analysis, we identified networks of information flow for three “cleaner” cookstoves: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves, induction cookstoves, and Himanshu tandoors. Second, we identified key players in the cookstove information networks. Third, using cultural consensus method, we determined and compared the beliefs of the key and non-key players, as identified from the information networks. We found that information networks for selected cookstoves varied in structural measures of density and centrality. We also found that a local non-profit played a lead role in spreading information about selected “cleaner” cookstoves. There was a consensus among both key and non-key player groups regarding beliefs about selected cookstoves; however, non-key players had a higher agreement among themselves and fewer overlapping beliefs than key players. We also found that key players were not always users of the technology itself. This implies that key players, unlike opinion leaders, were not necessarily proponents of selected cookstoves but were able to spread information about them because of their position within the networks. We identified the mismatches in beliefs regarding “cleaner” cookstoves within a community. These mismatches reveal the differences in what people know and what they share through interactions within social networks, suggesting that communities of practice have yet to form. Because the formation of communities of practice has implications for how the adoption of sustainable technologies becomes routinized, we stress the need for more socio-cultural perspectives in diffusion studies.

中文翻译：

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网络的解构，出土的共识：印度喜马拉雅山农村地区“清洁”炊具的扩散

社会结构和人们的信仰都会影响创新的传播，但是很少有研究能够理解这些双重影响是如何同时起作用的。了解这种同时性很重要，因为可持续实践受社会学习过程的影响，这些过程建立在个体互动的基础上，并融入实践社区。我们结合了社交网络和文化共识分析，以了解位于印度喜马al尔邦库鲁区一个小流域的八个村庄中“清洁”炊具的信息传播。首先，通过社交网络分析，我们确定了三种“清洁”炊具的信息流网络：液化石油气（LPG）炊具，电磁炉和Himanshu炉门。第二，我们确定了炊具信息网络中的关键参与者。第三，使用文化共识方法，我们确定并比较了从信息网络中识别出的关键和非关键参与者的信念。我们发现所选炊具的信息网络在密度和集中度的结构度量上各不相同。我们还发现，当地的一家非营利组织在传播有关“精选”炊具的信息方面发挥了主导作用。关键和非关键参与者团体之间就所选炊具的信念达成共识。但是，非关键参与者之间的共识较高，重叠信念较少。我们还发现，关键参与者并不总是技术本身的用户。这意味着关键人物与意见领袖不同，不一定是选定炊具的支持者，但由于它们在网络中的位置，因此能够传播有关它们的信息。我们确定了社区中有关“清洁”炊具的信念不匹配。这些不匹配揭示了人们通过社交网络内的互动了解的知识和分享的知识的差异，这表明实践社区尚未形成。因为实践社区的形成对可持续技术的采用变得常规化具有影响，所以我们强调在传播研究中需要更多的社会文化观点。这些不匹配揭示了人们通过社交网络内的互动了解的知识和分享的知识的差异，这表明实践社区尚未形成。因为实践社区的形成对可持续技术的采用变得常规化具有影响，所以我们强调在传播研究中需要更多的社会文化观点。这些不匹配揭示了人们通过社交网络内的互动了解的知识和分享的知识的差异，这表明实践社区尚未形成。由于实践社区的形成对采用可持续技术的常规化具有影响，因此我们强调在传播研究中需要更多的社会文化观点。