Gandon, Chrystel; MA

                         MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, 1996
 
                         MASS COMMUNICATIONS (0708); SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT
 

                         This case study investigates the chances of survival of the French videotext system, Minitel, in light of
                         the increasing development of the Internet in France. The development of both Minitel and Internet are
                         described in their specific economic, political, cultural and social contexts. Secondary data are used to
                         document the influence and interests of different forces: the State, the public firms, private firms, and
                         marketplace forces. Primary data collection was limited to open-ended free-ranging discussions with 27
                         managers of Minitel-using firms. We find Minitel has reached maturity in its life cycle, while the Internet is
                         at the beginning of the innovation development process. Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations hypotheses
                         (1983, 1995) provide a point of departure for the analysis.
 

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