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 The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference :: 0316346624
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| "The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject. For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you. Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
I rarely pick up a book that holds my interest all the way. This book was exceptional though and I have recommended it to many of my friends. The book discusses what causes an epidemic- how one tiny product, tv show, event, etc influences so many. I was impressed by the number of case studies and research that Gladwell did to back up his point. I really enjoyed learning about the influence Sesame Street had on the literary rate of the children who watched it, while what causes problems like teen smoking and suicide. It was a very interesting read.
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Author: Guest
Terrific book, not much to say other than - Go pick it up ASAP!
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Author: Guest
A number of critics to this book, like Lloyd (sic), below, site its nuanced, if not shallow approach to the subject matter as their primary reason for criticism. I suspect they want that which no 300-page book can deliver and, based on the title of this book, one wonders why they would presume such omnipotence this time. The Tipping Point is the final drop of water, as it were, that when added to the full bucket causes it to tip. It is not the objective of this author, imo, to negate those other influences, but more often than not, critical mass is achieved in spite of the naysayers like Lloyd who scoff at any effort to advance a solution to the brink and beyond.
Let's face it, no one truly knows before hand what efforts will drive an endeavor past the tipping point, but it is the risk-taker (see Mayor Giuliani) who continues to advance his cause incrementally until success is reached. The tipping point in Giuliani's case was the enforcement of the Jaywalking laws, but it is ludicrous to infer that this one, inconsequential change was the thing that stemmed the tide of crime in New York. As Giuliani put it, "How can I instill a sense of confidence in New Yorkers that I can control crimes like murder if I can't control jaywalking?" He wasn't intending for any singular, minute change to eradicate or even reverse the trend of violent crime, but the culmination of the many small changes he made created the tipping point toward a radical reduction in crime.
I think the best illustration of how just one event in a long line of futile efforts can tip the bucket in favor of law enforcement can be seen vis-Ã -vis that veritable plague called drugs. If you're as old as I am, you will recall the rampant use of cocaine in the early 80's but you will also recollect that the cost of cocaine skyrocketed toward the middle-end of that decade...which sadly ushered in the cheaper form of cocaine called crack, but that's another book. The point is, the singular event in a long list of operations that tipped this problem (of quantity) in our government's favor was the CIA's endeavor called OPERATION PSEUDO MIRANDA...the best-selling book by the same name is an absolute must read for all Americans interested in this subject. If not for the multitude of secretive operations leading up to Pseudo Miranda, that operation and its fantastical nature would never have been conceived, much less attempted.
This book may not have broken any new ground, but it has documented for the masses that which has never been documented and therefore has gotten us all on the same page, so to speak, discussing the subject. Had this book come out in the 70's, it is unlikely that we would have experienced the cocaine epidemic of the 80's...it would have served as the information tipping point.
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Author: Guest
This is the second Gladwell book I've read, and unfortunately its as bad as the first (Blink!). His basic point is that little things can make a big difference. Gladwell's problem, however, is that he doesn't know what he's writing about, and it's a fatal flaw.
For example, early in this book he relates how a "small change" in Brooklyn policing strategies turned into a "large drop" in crime. In reality, "broken windows," accompanied by much more data-driven and administrative follow-up policing referred to by Gladwell was a large (not small change).
The reality is that "broken windows" policing ended up going far beyond simply pursuing those with minor violations (eg. fare-beating) to include studying crime patterns (location, timing, etc.), setting improvement goals, and regular high-level follow-up. Secondly, "Freakonomics" research concluded that the crime-rate decline began BEFORE the change in policing, and that much of the decline was due to increased staffing.
Gladwell also attributed the decline to improved economic conditions - however, no such decline accompanied prior economic good times. Finally, Gladwell offered no explanation of why similar steep declines in crime occurred across the U.S. at the same time - without regard to any change in policing!
Another of Gladwell's problems is that he doesn't seem to understand anything about statistics. The fact that a change in policing suposedly occurred at the same time as a decline in crime rates seems to be "proof" of causation for Gladwell. One of the first lessons in statistics, however, is that "correlation does not imply causation."
Summarizing, the book starts out poorly, and goes downhill from there - increasingly boring, confusing, and totally lacking in credibility.
Don't confuse, aggravate, misinform yourself with this book
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Author: Guest
The Tipping Point is a fine book and highly relevant in an age when - thanks to the net, and to travel - we're becomingly exposed to pandemics of various sorts: disease, crime, new products or wonderful ideas. This volume lets us look at our society in a new way: not so much in terms of which demographic boxes we hapen to inhabit, (the rich versus poor, the young versus the old for example) but in terms of the way we all move, interact and adapt in our world of new things and fresh ideas.
The strength in Gladwell's book comes from his use of fascinating case studies and his clear identification of key types of people who can facilitate the spread of new ideas. These include:
- Early Adopters.
- High Connectors.
- Mavens. Experts who champion the idea.
- Salespeople - those who spread the word convincingly.
In this sense, Gladwell has created a systematic way of looking at how small ideas can turn into big contagions, and created a book that helps marketers, or anyone interested in social change, to see how and why some ideas really take off while others fail to catch fire.
I'm sure you'll be fascinated by the ideas that Gladwell so engagingly presents here, and for those further interested I'd also recommend Duncan Watts' "Six Degrees" which takes the ideas deeper, albeit into more mathematical territory.
Gladwell has produced a wonderful book here. The writing is engaging; the argument hugely influential.
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