Curve maturation Stages

WikiCurve states that issues move through 6 stages of maturation. During each phase, critical events happens that helps to shape our attitudes and opinions. They could be as dramatic as an oil spill, an upcoming global Summit or a political event. Media interest in a visionary leader, could spark discussion of an issue or sway public opinion. Even the release of a popular movie can have an impact on opinion development.

The stages are:

1. Discovery – a few people notice something new or have different ideas about the status quo and start talking/writing about it.
2. Theory Development- different theories are developed by “fringe” groups of activists, academics or others. Specialists talk about the issue and become engaged in theory development, but it doesn’t have much public profile.
3. Popular Interest – the issue starts to come into public awareness, media coverage about the issue starts to spread and bigger more mainstream groups begin to form to advocate on the issue.
4. Public Debate – the issue is becoming important to people and they are talking about it with their friends and family. Advocacy and pushback from different groups is happening and opinions are being formed through debate. Different political parties may have policies on how to address the issue and early laws might be made.
5. Policy and Regulation – policy is developed and contested, industry groups might put voluntary regulation into place and attitudes are becoming more fixed.
6. Mainstream Acceptance – the issue is in the mainstream and has become a “norm” and those who hold alternate views are sanctioned for not adopting the requisite values, behaviours, and practices expected.

Your vote for each event will help place it in the appropriate phase on the curve. The further to the right you place the second and third sliders, the higher a phase you are placing the event in.