On "The Tipping Point" By: Malcolm Gladwell
First of all, to visit Gladwell's website and read about The Tipping Point you can go here
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that attempts to explain the phenomena at what point social trends or become ‘epidemics.’
In Gladwell’s words “The Tipping Point is the biography of an idea…It is the best way to understand the emergence of fashion trends, the ebb and flow of crime waves, or, for that matter, the transformation or unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth, or any number of other mysterious changes that mark everyday life is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.” (7)
In my words, The Tipping Point is a study of the moment in time and the factors surrounding it where any social phenomenon explodes in popularity. Gladwell explains this using the following methodology:
He argues there are 3 major factors that make something “tip.” They are:
1. The Law of the Few
2. The Stickiness factor
3. The Power of Context
The “Law of the Few” concerns 3 special types of people called: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Connectors are described as people with a natural social instinct of meeting and networking with an abnormally large number of people. Consequently they can play a major role in making things “tip” because of their ability to reach such a broad network of people. Mavens are people with an abnormally broad knowledge that Gladwell categorizes as “information collectors” and can thus make things “tip” because people respect their opinions and will follow their advice. Salesmen are self-explanatorily “persuaders;” they are those with an “emotional contagion” that are able to appeal to others emotions and sell them on ideas unusually well.
“The Stickiness Factor” I relate to that song that you can not get out of your head. It is something that for whatever reason can not be forgotten. Gladwell focuses in this section on the packaging of information and the way that subtle changes in the way information is delivered to the public can dramatically alter the way it is received and to what level it “sticks.” He uses examples of TV shows such as Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues and demonstrates how the popularity of these shows is directly correlated to research performed by the show’s creators with kids to see which elements of the shows were “stickiest” by looking to see what the kids paid the most attention to and what they were bored by.
“The Power of Context” is pretty self-explanatory. Gladwell discusses the human tendency of over-attributing the causes of events to the individual and how the context of a situation can be just as important as one’s personality in deciding how an individual will act. In other words, where any person is and what they are doing at any given time has a generally unrecognized, but powerful influence over how a person will act.
I have a few issues with The Tipping Point, although it is clearly a well-thought out, well researched piece of writing.
First of all, Gladwell’s argument is too formulaic in its attempt to explain social phenomena. The structure the book is exclusive insofar as he does not leave room for factors outside of the ones he lays out to explain the concept of The Tipping Point. In his conclusion he says “The Theory of Tipping Points requires, however, that we reframe the way we think about the world.” (257) However on the previous page he says “This is the first lesson of the Tipping Point. Starting epidemics requires concentrating resources on a few key areas.”(255-6) I think it seems these two ideas are at odds with one another. To be flexible in reframing the way we think about the world distinctly means looking at the whole picture and being open not only the potential of the flux of different factors over time, but the potential for unseen factors. In writing a book about reframing the way we look at things Gladwell is implying something is wrong with the way we are currently looking at them. However it seems he is neglecting the potential for error within his own framing of things, which is either a kind of confidence approaching on egotistical, ignorance or a scholarly apathy towards a potential weakness in a rather sound bit of reasoning.
The reason this issue stands out so much to me is because of the way Gladwell simplifies the concept of The Tipping Point into logical terms in a way that makes it seem far too easy. I believe a lot of the things Gladwell says are quite true, but I am also skeptical that there can be methodology to creating a phenomenal “epidemic.” I mean, if it were that easy why couldn’t anyone do it? Why couldn’t the advertisers being paid millions of dollars to produce these sorts of epidemics simply read this book and have all their problems solved?
I believe this is a book with lots of potential, but also a book that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Gladwell provides knowledge with the potential to help create social change, but it is by no means gospel. He leaves no room for influences external to the ones he presents, or even pure randomness. The elements of change he discusses are all factors in social change but what if there are others? Or what if it is possible for social change to happen and epidemics to begin without changes in any of the factors he lists? Or to be metaphysical for a minute, what if some things do not happen for a reason? Even deeper, what if there are unseen influences on social trends? Things that cannot be explained in the simple terms outlined by Gladwell…
These criticisms are really just food for thought. The Tipping Point is a very interesting read and is full of well-argued thoughts with plenty of references to studies and research to back up the arguments. Ultimately, it is thought-provoking, which demonstrates the strength of the book; to analyze the way we think and act and some of the factors behind the change in social structures. In terms of this objective, The Tipping Point has in itself a brilliant self-reflexive quality insofar as it has the potential to instigate great social change through an analysis of social change itself.
I have no doubt that when Gladwell wrote The Tipping Point he had in mind the objective of “tipping” the book itself into an epidemic of his own. And after reaching the status of No.1 International Bestseller maybe there was something to that egotistical confidence after all….
posted by willy @ 2:27 a.m.
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