by Malcolm Gladwell
301 pages
3.5/5
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.
I picked this up because someone recently mentioned Gladwell's 'social epidemics' idea - as in, how do things that are trivial or forgotten become widely popular again, or how do things become a cultural icon. His analysis of this idea is entertaining in a light and fluffy kind of way, and I found the discussion of a 'market maven' the most valuable parts of the book. These are the people who others turn to for advice regarding a product, either because they are extremely knowledgeable about something or are particularly picky. They have a large impact on the market - more than you'd think.
The book is repetitive and has some odd omissions (the internet isn't mentioned until the afterword - yeah...), but the most frustrating thing is that Gladwell never discusses HOW to create a 'social epidemic'.
Overall, this was an interesting read, especially the social psychology aspects, but has very little actual scientific meat.
