When change becomes unstoppable

As promised, my thoughts on The Tipping Point, the bestselling first effort by The New Yorker staff writer Malcolm Gladwell. I thought The Tipping Point was well written and gave an objective and interesting analysis of the idea that “small things can make a big difference.” Based on social pyschologist Stanley Migram’s “Six Degrees of Separation” study, Gladwell defines the idea of the “tipping point” as “the moment of critical mass (when) change becomes unstoppable.” In explaining it, Gladwell identified three phenomenon which contribute to the spread of social epidemics, namely “The Law of the Few,” “the Stickiness Factor,” and “The Power of Context.”

I found the sections of the book dealing with “The Law of the Few,” “the Stickiness Factor,” and “The Power of Context” the most compelling. “The Law of the Few” talked about the people who are most capable of starting social epidemics: “mavens,” or people who are extremely knowledgeable and are willing to share that knowledge with others; “social connectors,” or people who are sociable and have innumerable acquaintances in various social environments; and “salespersons,” or people who are preternaturally persuasive and have the ability to draw others in. The “Stickiness Factor” dealt with ideas or commodities that are presented or advertised in such a way as to leave a lasting impression. This “lasting impression” act as a virus that spreads precisely because of its “sticky” qualities. To illustrate this point, Gladwell focused on the children’s programs Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues. And finally “The Power of Context,” a section which had a cogent analysis of the “Broken Windows” theory, talked about the ability of “circumstances and conditions” to influence social epidemics – that though change may be initiated by, say, the bold act of one individual, conditions determine to a significant degree whether that act will take on a life of its own.

Slightly less compelling, however, was the final third of the book concerning “case studies,” where Gladwell sought to use “The Law of the Few,” “the Stickiness Factor,” and “The Power of Context” to explain stories about, for example, the spread of teen smoking, the rise of suicides, and the popularity of certain kinds of shoes. While Gladwell is no doubt a gifted and persuasive writer, I thought that his argument would have been more convincing if he had focused more on research that support his points. Despite its shortcomings, The Tipping Point contains a wealth of useful information and I would definitely recommend it.

Stuff on Language and Books

I have so much stuff I plan to do that it is a wonder I even manage to remember it all let alone complete them. One of the things I plan to do is to learn a foreign language. I have already purchased a book to get started on the basics and later on I plan to take classes. Another thing I plan to do is read at least one book a week. Lately I haven’t had much time to read, except for the occasional magazine article, because I have been busy with other things. But I should have some extra time in the coming weeks.