Technological Radicalness or Cultural Softness? Value Re-Specification, Practice Reorganization, and Institutional Stabilization

Innovation research has traditionally privileged technological radicalness as the primary driver of societal transformation. Yet contemporary markets increasingly show that profound cultural shifts often arise not from frontier technological breakthroughs but from the reconfiguration of everyday practices and value systems. This article develops a multi-level theory of cultural innovation integrating technological infrastructures, practice reorganization, institutional stabilization, and influential preference tendencies. Drawing on sociotechnical transition theory, practice theory, service-dominant logic, and cultural branding scholarship, the study adopts a qualitative theory-building approach supported by illustrative case analysis. Secondary sources—including academic literature, industry reports, company communications, and business media—were systematically reviewed to identify recent examples (2023–2026) demonstrating the interaction between technological affordances and cultural change. Cases ranging from spatial computing and generative AI to non-alcoholic beverages, recommerce platforms, Buy Now Pay Later systems, and digital minimalism devices show that technological novelty alone does not produce cultural transformation. Instead, cultural innovation emerges when value re-specification, role reconfiguration, practice stabilization, and preference alignment converge within supportive institutional contexts. The article proposes a four-mechanism framework explaining how technological innovation becomes culturally transformative and why seemingly modest consumption innovations can generate disproportionate societal impact. JEL classification numbers: O35.