Tipping Point Summary
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The Tipp ing Point Book Report by Scott Wofford How do you start an epidemic or create a social movement? According to The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell , it’s not as hard as you thi nk. The book’s central theme is that ideas, products, and behavior spread geometrically like vir us es. Because geometric expa nsi on is difficult to comprehend, humans underestimate the power of and speed of viral expan sion. Once the expansion reaches a “tipping point” it’s hard to stop. Th ere are th ree important rul es of epide mics, expla ins Gladwell. o First, “the law of the few” states that a large trend can be started by a small group of peopl e. For example , 168 sexually active residents of Colorado Springs were responsible for a citywide gonorrhea epidemic. o Second, “the stickiness factor” states that epidemics must be m emorable in order to spread . For example, very funny advertising campaigns flop, while other not funny campaigns succeed because they are memorable. o Th irdly , “the power of context” states that subtle chan ges in context make a big impact on people’s decisions . For example, a clean and orderly city decreases violent crime because criminals feel more vulnerable com mitt ing crimes i n well-kept n eighborhoods. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani systematically attacked dirty neighborhoods with a no-retreat cleaning strategy and it dramatically reduced crime. Th ere are al so three important types of people in epid emics: connectors, i nformation mavens , and salespeople. o CON NECTORS : You’ve probably h eard the theory that that everyone is connected by six degrees of separation. This phenomenon has been confirmed by research. However, the nuance is that everyone is connected to a set of connectors or networkers in 2-3 steps and those people connect to the world. You can figure out who the connector is in your group of friends by recording wh ich of your friends introduced you to your cu rrent circle of f riends. Circles of friends are actually pyramids, a club who is owned by a connector who invites new members. o INFORMATION MA VENS: The information maven in y our group of friends i s the one wh o was th e first one to get an i Ph one, has seen all of the lates t movies, and kn ows all of the best restaurants to go to eat. Because of their extensive knowledge, people as k informat ion mavens for advice. In advertising, informat ion mavens are called early adopters. o SAL ESPEOPLE: Salespeople have th e gift of persuasion and social fluidity. They pull people into the rhy thm of t heir social in teract ion and dictate the terms of the conversation. Thi s is the person who can convince you to do something you didn’t think you wanted to do. Gladwell lists several examples of tipping point stories including TV show Sesame Street, Paul Revere, skateboarding shoe company Airwalk’s rise to prominence, a Micronesian suicide
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Transcript of Tipping Point Summary
7/30/2019 Tipping Point Summary
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tipping-point-summary 1/2
The Tipping PointBook Report by Scott Wofford
How do you start an epidemic or create a social movement? According to The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, it’snot as hard as you think. The book’s central theme is thatideas, products, and behavior spread geometrically like
viruses. Because geometric expansion is difficult tocomprehend, humans underestimate the power of and speedof viral expansion. Once the expansion reaches a “tippingpoint” it’s hard to stop.
There are three important rules of epidemics, explainsGladwell.o First, “the law of the few” states that a large trend can
be started by a small group of people. For example, 168sexually active residents of Colorado Springs wereresponsible for a citywide gonorrhea epidemic.
o Second, “the stickiness factor” states that epidemics must be memorable in order to spread.For example, very funny advertising campaigns flop, while other not funny campaigns succeedbecause they are memorable.
o Thirdly , “the power of context” states that subtle changes in context make a big impact onpeople’s decisions. For example, a clean and orderly city decreases violent crime becausecriminals feel more vulnerable committing crimes in well-kept neighborhoods. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani systematically attacked dirty neighborhoods with a no-retreatcleaning strategy and it dramatically reduced crime.
There are also three important types of people in epidemics: connectors, information mavens, andsalespeople.o CONNECTORS: You’ve probably heard the theory that that everyone is connected by six
degrees of separation. This phenomenon has been confirmed by research. However, thenuance is that everyone is connected to a set of connectors or networkers in 2-3 steps and thosepeople connect to the world. You can figure out who the connector is in your group of friendsby recording which of your friends introduced you to your current circle of friends. Circles of friends are actually pyramids, a club who is owned by a connector who invites new members.
o INFORMATION MAVENS: The information maven in your group of friends is the one who was the first one to get an iPhone, has seen all of the latest movies, and knows all of the
best restaurants to go to eat. Because of their extensive knowledge, people ask informationmavens for advice. In advertising, information mavens are called early adopters.o SALESPEOPLE: Salespeople have the gift of persuasion and social fluidity. They pull people
into the rhythm of their social interaction and dictate the terms of the conversation. This is theperson who can convince you to do something you didn’t think you wanted to do.
Gladwell lists several examples of tipping point stories including TV show Sesame Street, PaulRevere, skateboarding shoe company Airwalk’s rise to prominence, a Micronesian suicide
7/30/2019 Tipping Point Summary
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tipping-point-summary 2/2
epidemic, food poisoning caused by mass hysteria, and the Columbine shooting. He also posedsome innovative ideas to improve failing urban schools and children’s use of local libraries.Gladwell advises companies to create MAVEN traps, like toll-free numbers for Dial Soap.
The book was fascinating book because the tipping point theory allows deconstruction of a social
epidemic to its most basic elements. Although Gladwell listed some negative examples of thetipping point, he maintained an optimistic tone that the theory could be used to solve socialproblems.
“Tipping points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action. Look at world around you. It may seem like an unmovable,implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push in just the right place, it can be tipped.” -Malcolm Gladwell
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead
Can you think of any movements that should be created or problems that can be solved using thetipping point social movement theory?
