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Editorial Review:
"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 behaviours spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of mimetics will recognise this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.
For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanise 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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Absolutely fascinating and so readable ... The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is an immensely readable analysis of what makes epidemics happen. However its not really about nasty diseases, although they do feature, but more about business and marketing. It is not just a social science book, but also a philosophy cum marketing primer for anyone trying to get something to take off. To me it seemed to boil down to two main things which may seem very straight-forward, but are immensely difficult in the detail and practice. Firstly, you need to... more info
Good but a little repetitive in parts I bought this book as it was recommended by a friend who said that it was full of some revolutionary ideas on viral marketing. However, I don't think they could have read it cover to cover and only really read about Hush Puppies becoming the latest fashion trend in the US. I did enjoy the book in parts and it certainly had some great anecdotes about how it is often the smallest things that can have the greatest effect on the success of a social project or marketing campaign. Such as how mending broken... more info
Can't wait to implement these ideas The Tipping Point is really well written and it's an enjoyable read. More importantly, the ideas in it seem to be valid making them powerful tools for anybody looking to start anything new. Gladwell gives plenty of examples to back up the ideas and shows how they were applied to a multitude of things from suicides in Micronesia, to Blues Clues and the American revolution. It's one of those books that I can't read for more than five minutes at a time before stopping to share an interesting... more info
Thought provoking The Tipping Point is amazingly popular deservedly so. This book about the factors that makes social epidemics spread so quickly has a number of great things going for it. The first thing is that Gladwell has an easy, relaxed and engaging prose style. The reader is never overburdened by terminology. When he does use the terminology and abbreviations of experts it is with good reason and clearly explained. The book is well structured and easy to follow. From the very beginning Gladwell has a clear... more info
