Call number
302 GLA
Collection
Genres
Publication
Back Bay Books (2002), 301 pages
Description
Business. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML: From the bestselling author of The Bomber Mafia: discover Malcolm Gladwell's breakthrough debut and explore the science behind viral trends in business, marketing, and human behavior. 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. "A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person looks at the world." â??Michael Lewis… (more)
Subjects
Media reviews
I wish Malcolm Gladwell had chosen to use his considerable skills as a journalist to describe more examples of actual tipping points. In reaching instead for theory, he reaches well beyond where he, or anyone else, can safely travel.
What Mr. Gladwell has to say is instructive. If he hasn't got all the answers, he certainly offers a fresh way of looking at the problems.
Gladwell's narrative voice is so chummy and seductive, it's easy to get drawn into his worldview.
But still: $1 million ... Here's a tip: Don't believe the hype.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference is both interesting and engaging. It is a medicine chest of a book, full of seemingly unrelated concoctions, each available for strategic application to manipulate the equilibrium.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
Interesting ideas and information about human nature, but the examples were so broad based, I found it frustrating...I would rather have read more deeply about education and childhood development, for example, than to have barely touched upon that, crime, book groups, marketing and ad campaigns,
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television, smoking and the other tidbits that were in the book. It was an easy read--great for the bus to and from work. I wouldn't heartily recommend it, but if you're looking for something light but not crap fiction, this is a good pick. Show Less
LibraryThing member folini
If you are looking for a collection of unusual stories and pseudo-scientific tales to entertain your friends during the next party or dinner, this is the book you are looking for.
But if you like real books, i.e. a collection of pages that constitutes a single, valuable, interesting object, then
In conclusion, Malcom's book seems to be more a first draft than a finished work.
The style is not consistent across chapters, and the connections between chapters and topics is weak.
But if you like real books, i.e. a collection of pages that constitutes a single, valuable, interesting object, then
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this is not for you. Some of the examples from Malcom Gladwell extend over several pages, for no reason. Each basic concept is repeated so many times giving the impression the author is talking to a dummy reader, not to a "normal" person. In conclusion, Malcom's book seems to be more a first draft than a finished work.
The style is not consistent across chapters, and the connections between chapters and topics is weak.
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LibraryThing member jddunn
Another book I’ve danced around by being online a lot. I had a general idea before of what he’s getting at, but I learned a lot about how information acts in a social context, and about marketing and the exploitation of human psychological bugs to spread memes, for better and worse. Probably
My big beef with this and with most of his work is that he’s far too credulous, reductive, and deterministic about the findings of psychology, sociology, cogsci, neurology, etc. He constantly makes the mistake of conflating statistical trends and correlations with ironclad physical laws that apply directly and inviolably to you the reader and everyone else. It makes for a nice just-so-story and has the added benefit for him of telling lots of pseudo-intellectual business/marketing types exactly what they want to hear and making them feel really smart for knowing the same truths he has just interviewed a bunch of them to “discover.”
This approach may be lucrative and even somewhat diverting in his able hands, but it does a disservice to the richness and implications of the material and to the curiosity of the reader.Basically, his approach boils down to: “I’ve interviewed a few scienticians and marketing flacks about X, and found that this is the way things are, so you had better get used to it.” and, by implication: “Those who are enlightened enough to detect and accept these inevitabilities can turn them to their own advantage and win big!”
Compare that with someone else who writes on similar topics for an overlapping audience, Steven Johnson, whose approach is: “I got really interested in X, so I went out and learned as much as I could about it, and this is what I found. Isn’t that cool?! And here’s how it relates to Y and Z. And, finally, here are some possible implications, but what actually develops depends on how we decide to act on this knowledge and these connections.”
In a quintessentially Gladwellian fashion, I’ll leave it to you to divine who I think has the better approach.
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good things to know, whichever side of the battle for the commons you are on.My big beef with this and with most of his work is that he’s far too credulous, reductive, and deterministic about the findings of psychology, sociology, cogsci, neurology, etc. He constantly makes the mistake of conflating statistical trends and correlations with ironclad physical laws that apply directly and inviolably to you the reader and everyone else. It makes for a nice just-so-story and has the added benefit for him of telling lots of pseudo-intellectual business/marketing types exactly what they want to hear and making them feel really smart for knowing the same truths he has just interviewed a bunch of them to “discover.”
This approach may be lucrative and even somewhat diverting in his able hands, but it does a disservice to the richness and implications of the material and to the curiosity of the reader.Basically, his approach boils down to: “I’ve interviewed a few scienticians and marketing flacks about X, and found that this is the way things are, so you had better get used to it.” and, by implication: “Those who are enlightened enough to detect and accept these inevitabilities can turn them to their own advantage and win big!”
Compare that with someone else who writes on similar topics for an overlapping audience, Steven Johnson, whose approach is: “I got really interested in X, so I went out and learned as much as I could about it, and this is what I found. Isn’t that cool?! And here’s how it relates to Y and Z. And, finally, here are some possible implications, but what actually develops depends on how we decide to act on this knowledge and these connections.”
In a quintessentially Gladwellian fashion, I’ll leave it to you to divine who I think has the better approach.
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LibraryThing member rvolenti
I decided to read this book because it seems to be everywhere, and so I assumed it must be good. I'm not sure how "good" it was. Some examples he used were interesting, some were boring, and some didn't seem relevant to his thesis. Basically he argues that fads/popularity occurs because of the
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right environment, trendsetters, and people to spread the message. Not worth reading, though not necessarily bad, if that makes any sense. Show Less
LibraryThing member Appliquetion
The very nature of modern culture is ruled by a point in time when a common trend sparks, grows and takes hold in society becoming a social norm. These norms are what dictate how society behaves. This point in time, called a “tipping point” is discussed in Malcom Gladwell's book, The Tipping
Malcom Gladwell is a writer for the magazine, The New Yorker, who believed the smallest things could cause an epidemic of change. Gladwell states that in order for certain trends to develop and spread, they must be seen through a certain context and the right type of personalities are involved. He supports his theories through a wide range of examples like historical stories, teen smoking, the culture of skating, revolutionaries like Paul Revere, restaurants, and popular children’s shows.
Malcom Gladwell believed that if you analyze popular trends you would find that they all evolved along similar paths. These paths are what made it likely for a trend to become mainstream behavior. Galdwell noticed three factors that determine if a idea or thought would “tip” into becoming a trend; the Law of the Few, Stickiness Factor and The Power of Context.
The first factor of a “social epidemic” as Gladwell calls trends is the Law of Few. It is a phenomenon where small amounts of people are the driving force behind pushing trends into popularity. These people are Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Connectors are those who are the most socially connected and make friends easy. They are most active through word of mouth. Mavens are the “know-it-alls”. They are the ones that pride themselves in knowing the latest, hottest, best way to do things and love to share it. Salesmen are the people who can convince others to believe anything.
Once you have the talkers talking, spreading the word of the trend then comes getting the trend to stick in the minds of the masses. This is the Stickiness Factor. It is the ability to draw people in and keep them focused on the trend forcing the trend to grow larger. This is the hardest part of the transformation since without the ability of the trend to stay in a person’s mind, it will not influence the person’s future behavior and the trend will die. Gladwell uses popular children’s shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Blue's Clues" to highlight how presentation and research was the key to the show’s success. The show’s trends “stuck” because the producers learned what the children needed and wanted to see, packaging it in a manner children found enjoyable. This made the children want to change their behaviors and pushed the shows to their “tipping points”.
The third factor in an “epidemic change” is the Power of Context. It is the ability of human behavior to be affected by the environment such as demographics or the economy. If the “social epidemic” is not correctly introduced then it is most not likely to be accepted. Gladwell used “power of numbers” as an example where if you are in a large crowd and need help, you are less likely to receive assistance due to the fact everyone assumes that someone else will help and do nothing. However, if you are in a small crowd and need help, they are more likely to assist you in fear that their lack of help will be noticed.
Last, Gladwell discusses the Epidemic Curve, the lifeline of the trend or “epidemic change”. It starts out slow to raise as it gains momentum and “tips” just as “early adopters” start to promote the trend. Then it rasies sharply as the “majority” of the population joins in. Finally, it falls away as the last of “laggards” join in.
Gladwell’s use of examples to make it easy to relate to everyday life is excellent. He uses easy to understand terminology and explains out his theories thoroughly make it easy for readers to understand and connect to. Even though Gladwell used a variety of events from the last few decades, he failed to tie them into the examples. They seemed to not be fully developed. He rarely presented any supporting facts linking the factors to key roles in causing the trend to bloom into a sensation. It appeared most of the reasons for popularity were based on assumptions as there was no data to back up what his sources were for his information.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys analytics. Its 304 pages is a quick read with very little yawn space mixed in. It was filled with thought provoking examples such as children’s shows ability to teaching children read or New York’s ability to change the crime rate with erasing graffiti in the subway. I can see how Gladwell’s theory could be based on fact given the right environment or right people change happens, it almost seems a given.
The book was insightful, by explaining how social roles affect behaviors and how it “tips” ideas to become popular. This book is best used for marketing majors who need to know how to operate as successful marketing campaign. However, I could see how it might be useful in social reform also. It is clear that little things can make a big difference. Understanding this fact will defiantly help in communicating and marketing to your customer base.
Small things can make big changes! All it takes is the right factors to create a “social epidemic”. All you need are the right few people (law of few); Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen are those people who know the most in a situation; they have the most social connections and can really get the idea out and spread around to others. The right idea pitched to the right people meeting their needs right at that moment (law of stickiness) and the right time and environment for a change (law of context); mix the three factors together into a boiling pot of society and it will “tip” over from a trend to a social norm causing a ripple effect throughout time.
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Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. The Tipping point was published by Little Brown Publishing Co., New York, NY in 2000. Gladwell’s chosen audience is the social science and marketing type of fields, like sociology, political science and market promotion. Malcom Gladwell is a writer for the magazine, The New Yorker, who believed the smallest things could cause an epidemic of change. Gladwell states that in order for certain trends to develop and spread, they must be seen through a certain context and the right type of personalities are involved. He supports his theories through a wide range of examples like historical stories, teen smoking, the culture of skating, revolutionaries like Paul Revere, restaurants, and popular children’s shows.
Malcom Gladwell believed that if you analyze popular trends you would find that they all evolved along similar paths. These paths are what made it likely for a trend to become mainstream behavior. Galdwell noticed three factors that determine if a idea or thought would “tip” into becoming a trend; the Law of the Few, Stickiness Factor and The Power of Context.
The first factor of a “social epidemic” as Gladwell calls trends is the Law of Few. It is a phenomenon where small amounts of people are the driving force behind pushing trends into popularity. These people are Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Connectors are those who are the most socially connected and make friends easy. They are most active through word of mouth. Mavens are the “know-it-alls”. They are the ones that pride themselves in knowing the latest, hottest, best way to do things and love to share it. Salesmen are the people who can convince others to believe anything.
Once you have the talkers talking, spreading the word of the trend then comes getting the trend to stick in the minds of the masses. This is the Stickiness Factor. It is the ability to draw people in and keep them focused on the trend forcing the trend to grow larger. This is the hardest part of the transformation since without the ability of the trend to stay in a person’s mind, it will not influence the person’s future behavior and the trend will die. Gladwell uses popular children’s shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Blue's Clues" to highlight how presentation and research was the key to the show’s success. The show’s trends “stuck” because the producers learned what the children needed and wanted to see, packaging it in a manner children found enjoyable. This made the children want to change their behaviors and pushed the shows to their “tipping points”.
The third factor in an “epidemic change” is the Power of Context. It is the ability of human behavior to be affected by the environment such as demographics or the economy. If the “social epidemic” is not correctly introduced then it is most not likely to be accepted. Gladwell used “power of numbers” as an example where if you are in a large crowd and need help, you are less likely to receive assistance due to the fact everyone assumes that someone else will help and do nothing. However, if you are in a small crowd and need help, they are more likely to assist you in fear that their lack of help will be noticed.
Last, Gladwell discusses the Epidemic Curve, the lifeline of the trend or “epidemic change”. It starts out slow to raise as it gains momentum and “tips” just as “early adopters” start to promote the trend. Then it rasies sharply as the “majority” of the population joins in. Finally, it falls away as the last of “laggards” join in.
Gladwell’s use of examples to make it easy to relate to everyday life is excellent. He uses easy to understand terminology and explains out his theories thoroughly make it easy for readers to understand and connect to. Even though Gladwell used a variety of events from the last few decades, he failed to tie them into the examples. They seemed to not be fully developed. He rarely presented any supporting facts linking the factors to key roles in causing the trend to bloom into a sensation. It appeared most of the reasons for popularity were based on assumptions as there was no data to back up what his sources were for his information.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys analytics. Its 304 pages is a quick read with very little yawn space mixed in. It was filled with thought provoking examples such as children’s shows ability to teaching children read or New York’s ability to change the crime rate with erasing graffiti in the subway. I can see how Gladwell’s theory could be based on fact given the right environment or right people change happens, it almost seems a given.
The book was insightful, by explaining how social roles affect behaviors and how it “tips” ideas to become popular. This book is best used for marketing majors who need to know how to operate as successful marketing campaign. However, I could see how it might be useful in social reform also. It is clear that little things can make a big difference. Understanding this fact will defiantly help in communicating and marketing to your customer base.
Small things can make big changes! All it takes is the right factors to create a “social epidemic”. All you need are the right few people (law of few); Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen are those people who know the most in a situation; they have the most social connections and can really get the idea out and spread around to others. The right idea pitched to the right people meeting their needs right at that moment (law of stickiness) and the right time and environment for a change (law of context); mix the three factors together into a boiling pot of society and it will “tip” over from a trend to a social norm causing a ripple effect throughout time.
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LibraryThing member WouterGil
Decent book. Had expected more after "Blink" though.
LibraryThing member thorold
This was a best-seller so long ago that it doesn't use the word "epicentre" anywhere, and it even comes with a blurb from Bill Clinton (remember him?) on the back. Oddly, the quoted comment doesn't give any direct indication that Clinton has ever read the book — or encourages us to do so: He
What Gladwell describes, at a very superficial level and without any kind of scientific analysis, is how outcomes in fields like marketing, public health, and social behaviour can be determined by rather small-scale inputs, as long as they are applied in exactly the right place. Which is probably something we all knew already. It's all presented quite charmingly, in the form of case-studies written in the best New Yorker style (frame the chapter with your big story, interrupting it with subsidiary pieces of evidence, identify an engaging representative person for each bit of the story, scatter in a few subjective elements...). So it's very readable, but it all leaves you with that vaguely unsatisfied feeling that you always get from books on pop psychology or business. A good disposable book for a shortish train journey.
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describes it as "that now-famous book that everybody is reading". Maybe the publisher is taking Gladwell's arguments literally, and considers Clinton as the kind of influencer who could nudge us into a purchase simply by telling us that everyone else is reading it...?What Gladwell describes, at a very superficial level and without any kind of scientific analysis, is how outcomes in fields like marketing, public health, and social behaviour can be determined by rather small-scale inputs, as long as they are applied in exactly the right place. Which is probably something we all knew already. It's all presented quite charmingly, in the form of case-studies written in the best New Yorker style (frame the chapter with your big story, interrupting it with subsidiary pieces of evidence, identify an engaging representative person for each bit of the story, scatter in a few subjective elements...). So it's very readable, but it all leaves you with that vaguely unsatisfied feeling that you always get from books on pop psychology or business. A good disposable book for a shortish train journey.
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LibraryThing member MrDickie
Very interesting book. This was the first book I read by Malcolm Gladwell. I plan to read others.
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
Maybe it's because it's dated? Maybe because he spends 12 pages going over "proofs" of every statement he makes- even when they are duplicate "proofs" and/or completely irrelevant. Maybe because half the pages are spent "name-dropping"...
Anyway, it was a waste of time to read. I liked Blink and
Anyway, it was a waste of time to read. I liked Blink and
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Outliers, this one... not so much. Show Less
LibraryThing member coolcat
This is quite a boring read. Not at all like his second work - Blink.
LibraryThing member Reysbro
too shallow in my opinion. good for a flight though...
LibraryThing member datrappert
Doesn't quite live up to its billing. Listening to Gladwell read his own book, I couldn't help but think that he had a lot of interesting stuff he wanted to tell us about, so he came up with the tipping point as the way to tie all the parts together. That's unfair of course, but some of the stories
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he relates seem to be stretching the point a bit, and some aren't really backed up by a lot of evidence that Gladwell's tipping point was actually a cause of the effect he is discussing - such as the drop in crime in NYC being the result of cracking down on small crimes such as painting graffiti on subway cars. Show Less
LibraryThing member stephmo
The subtitle to The Tipping Point might be better called How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and by the word "How" what I Mean is More of a Discussion on the Nature of How Things Connect and Get Sticky and Not So Much a Step-By-Step Thing - Think Philosophy and Not DIY. At least that's what
Gladwell's book breaks down a variety of topics - from Paul Revere's Ride to Blue's Clues to Suicide in Micronesia to Teen Smoking - and discusses what it is that made these things tip where other things languished or never made it out of the gate. He'll introduce you to the individuals that are key in most movements - connectors, mavens and salesmen - and how they're the ones that will bring an idea from a simmer to the tipping point.
Again, Gladwell isproviding rock-solid answers to why things tip. Instead, he's offering general ideas, but within these ideas are a lot of fantastic nuggets of information.
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I ended up having to explain when I mentioned that I was listening to this book over the last month - individuals thought I was reading some sort of step-by-step guide on how to make things "tip." Not that I didn't gather some nuggets that can lead to better ideas, but that's really the whole point.Gladwell's book breaks down a variety of topics - from Paul Revere's Ride to Blue's Clues to Suicide in Micronesia to Teen Smoking - and discusses what it is that made these things tip where other things languished or never made it out of the gate. He'll introduce you to the individuals that are key in most movements - connectors, mavens and salesmen - and how they're the ones that will bring an idea from a simmer to the tipping point.
Again, Gladwell isproviding rock-solid answers to why things tip. Instead, he's offering general ideas, but within these ideas are a lot of fantastic nuggets of information.
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LibraryThing member delphica
(#42 in the 2005 Book Challenge)
This was exactly the sort of Mickey Mouse social science that I like. Lots of anecdotes that illustrate what seems to be bona fide research. I'd say it's pretty selective, though, as far as research goes. I think, or rather, I know, I became a somewhat annoying
On the downside, there's a little bit of an evangelical tone that was unsettling. I guess I always get wary of authors who don't include any exceptions to the rule, not even in the case of "here's an exception to the rule, I think we need to do more research in this area to find what other factors are pushing this outside of the expected outcomes."
Grade: B
Recommended: I think this is an interesting read for anyone who works in a job that involves a lot of people -- whether you're people herder, or getting information out to people in bulk, that sort of thing.
This was exactly the sort of Mickey Mouse social science that I like. Lots of anecdotes that illustrate what seems to be bona fide research. I'd say it's pretty selective, though, as far as research goes. I think, or rather, I know, I became a somewhat annoying
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person after reading this because I liked to try to incorporate some of his social science points into my own life. My favorite take-away is the claim that people are wired to function well in groups of 150 or smaller, and that above 150, you can't really herd people and you're better off breaking up the group into smaller groups. In a rare example of something I've read coming in handy at work, this helped me articulate something we had been advocating for at the office -- the need for more, smaller groups instead of a few large groups. We haven't actually gotten what we want yet, but I felt much better about being able to focus our position. It's not as if I went in waving around my copy of this book, but I took a look at our arguments which were wandering all over the place and pared them down to those that were specific to group size and efficiency.On the downside, there's a little bit of an evangelical tone that was unsettling. I guess I always get wary of authors who don't include any exceptions to the rule, not even in the case of "here's an exception to the rule, I think we need to do more research in this area to find what other factors are pushing this outside of the expected outcomes."
Grade: B
Recommended: I think this is an interesting read for anyone who works in a job that involves a lot of people -- whether you're people herder, or getting information out to people in bulk, that sort of thing.
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LibraryThing member kaelirenee
What turns an idea, a rare instance, or spark into an epidemic. Social, political, fashion, medical, and entertainment issues are all presented and analysed greatly. Where Freakonomics is brief, flippant, and a bit scattered in thought, Tipping Point carefully analyses each idea in detail. It was a
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bit heavy on anecdotal evidence, but none of it was used as a sole proof, so Gladwell can be forgiven. Show Less
LibraryThing member gkuhns
This book attempts to explain which factors work together to create fads, trends and epidemics in an increasingly global society. Although the work never evolves beyond a piece of facile pop sociology, it is most interesting for the way the author makes coherent links between seemingly disparate
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pieces of information in support of his thesis. If this is the first of the three Gladwell books one reads, the style of synthesis and the choice of supporting details will probably seem fresh and appealing. The writing is clear, even when the ideas presented are complicated. Show Less
LibraryThing member steve_d27
A lot of what Tipping Point bridges you can do yourself and come up with the same answers: Sometimes things just 'tip' over and cause a reaction, good or bad. Some parts were interesting from an academic POV. A much hyped book about basics we all knew anyway, but branded really well. Good for
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marketing people, I guess. Show Less
LibraryThing member franoscar
I was very disappointed in this book. I was reading along, interested & enjoying it, & then he started quoting James Q. Wilson and "creating a context" for Bernhard Goetz. And then it got worse, all about how parents (nurture) have no effect on their children, drawing from 1 controversial writer.
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It ended up being right wing ideology, genetic determinism, and nonsense. So how could I trust anything else that he says? Show Less
LibraryThing member myfanwy
The Tipping Point is one of those "explain the world" books that came out recently and made the rounds of the best seller lists. I'd heard several intriguing things about it so I set about reading it. The main point of the book is that "little things matter". Change is not always gradual but
In general, I found his main point to be nothing terribly new. Yes, perhaps this is because I'm an epidemiologist, but I already know change can happen quickly. And his three areas are too narrow, focussing really on the potential for use in advertising. Gladwell goes on at great length with examples, and he clearly has read the statistic that says people learn things if they hear them at least seven times, because his book was very repetitive. It's main flaws were that it could have been a 20 page treatise and instead was sold as a book, and secondly that he found a hammer and then absolutely everything was a nail. However, a few interesting ideas came through:
The idea that the "six degrees of separation" phenomenon does not mean everyone knows a certain number of people who know a certain number of people, but rather that a certain few are Connectors who know everyone. If you want to meet people you find a connector and they open worlds.
That some people are better emoters and some better receivers of human signals. Put an emoter in a room with two receivers and without saying a word the mood of the three will converge to the emoter mood after about five minutes. He uses this as an argument to say that we are influenced by more than we think, but you could just as well point out the opposite, i.e. that some have more influence than we choose to believe. Both sides of the coin.
In general, this was an interesting if repetitive book. It certainly made me think, and that in any book is a good achievement.
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sometimes epidemic, and that kind of change can be seen in any number of different areas of life. He also defines three main areas for harnessing this power: the law of the few (you don't need a lot of people, just the right ones), the stickiness factor (you need your message to stick), and the power of context. In general, I found his main point to be nothing terribly new. Yes, perhaps this is because I'm an epidemiologist, but I already know change can happen quickly. And his three areas are too narrow, focussing really on the potential for use in advertising. Gladwell goes on at great length with examples, and he clearly has read the statistic that says people learn things if they hear them at least seven times, because his book was very repetitive. It's main flaws were that it could have been a 20 page treatise and instead was sold as a book, and secondly that he found a hammer and then absolutely everything was a nail. However, a few interesting ideas came through:
The idea that the "six degrees of separation" phenomenon does not mean everyone knows a certain number of people who know a certain number of people, but rather that a certain few are Connectors who know everyone. If you want to meet people you find a connector and they open worlds.
That some people are better emoters and some better receivers of human signals. Put an emoter in a room with two receivers and without saying a word the mood of the three will converge to the emoter mood after about five minutes. He uses this as an argument to say that we are influenced by more than we think, but you could just as well point out the opposite, i.e. that some have more influence than we choose to believe. Both sides of the coin.
In general, this was an interesting if repetitive book. It certainly made me think, and that in any book is a good achievement.
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LibraryThing member shawnd
I loved Gladwell articles in the New Yorker before this came out. I believe you can still read all of the early ones on gladwell.com. His blog leaves something to be desired. The Tipping Point is a mix of solid consumer psychology, anecdotes, and most importantly, interviews with mostly little
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known (except Ron Popeil) but powerfully excellent people in certain spots of life that tie to the central theme. An original masterpiece. Show Less
LibraryThing member Karin7
Malcolm Gladwell examines the various factors involved in any trend reaching a tipping point, which is the point where they tip into being a trend on a larger scale. His first example is of the rise of the old-school, then unpopular Hush Puppy shoe which, during the 1990s made a huge comeback. In
At first, I thought I might end up just liking it and giving it three stars, because the beginning didn't impress me a great deal, but I liked it okay. However, as the book went on I have to say either it got better or I just was in a better reading space, because I liked it quite a bit.
However, as with any study like this, you have to take some of it with a grain of salt. For example, I easily knew enough people IRL in the surname test to be a Connector as I am gregarious & love to get to know people, but I'd hardly call myself a Connector as I don't pass on trends or recommend restaurants, nor do I think people take me as an authority in that sort of way. I don't spend much time on Facebook and only just joined Twitter. As much as my friends loved my personal statement of wearing a certain hat one year in high school (one unique enough to be TMI, and yet fit the decade I went to high school) none went out and tried to imitate the style. Instead, after that year it became part of my mime costume for the next number of years (so if you're a facebook friend you can take a look at it if you're on there & think of it, but that photo was taken the following year in California with different friends). Now had I lived in a different place than a small town where everyone wore one of 2 or 3 brands of the same style jeans (that's how it was back then, I kid you not--greasers, cool kids, jocks, et al weren't known by their different jeans) etc, perhaps it would have been different, but if I were a betting person, I wouldn't bet on it.
Nevertheless, it's a worthwhile read. It's not what I originally planned for this a tag in the play book tag group here, but I found it browsing the Sociology section of our local library.
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the book he talks about key people or groups involved in most of these things, Connectors, Mavens, Innovators et al who are of vital importance in any trend reaching a tipping point. It is a fascinating study on how this happens. I can't say that all of this was new to me, but it was a new presentation and a more complete package than other places I've read these things.At first, I thought I might end up just liking it and giving it three stars, because the beginning didn't impress me a great deal, but I liked it okay. However, as the book went on I have to say either it got better or I just was in a better reading space, because I liked it quite a bit.
However, as with any study like this, you have to take some of it with a grain of salt. For example, I easily knew enough people IRL in the surname test to be a Connector as I am gregarious & love to get to know people, but I'd hardly call myself a Connector as I don't pass on trends or recommend restaurants, nor do I think people take me as an authority in that sort of way. I don't spend much time on Facebook and only just joined Twitter. As much as my friends loved my personal statement of wearing a certain hat one year in high school (one unique enough to be TMI, and yet fit the decade I went to high school) none went out and tried to imitate the style. Instead, after that year it became part of my mime costume for the next number of years (so if you're a facebook friend you can take a look at it if you're on there & think of it, but that photo was taken the following year in California with different friends). Now had I lived in a different place than a small town where everyone wore one of 2 or 3 brands of the same style jeans (that's how it was back then, I kid you not--greasers, cool kids, jocks, et al weren't known by their different jeans) etc, perhaps it would have been different, but if I were a betting person, I wouldn't bet on it.
Nevertheless, it's a worthwhile read. It's not what I originally planned for this a tag in the play book tag group here, but I found it browsing the Sociology section of our local library.
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LibraryThing member stevetempo
An excellent book with insight into the causes of certain social phenomena. The development contains some great case studies. A good reading for those connected to public policy also those in education. Folks into systems behavior would also enjoy.
LibraryThing member rich
Quite a large book compared to the size of the point that's being made. Overrated.
LibraryThing member Bibliophial
An interesting hypothesis (not sure it's true, though), but once you've got the idea...
LibraryThing member scheringlibrary
Malcom Gladwell looks at why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Ideas, behavior, messages, and products, he argues, often spread like outbreaks of infectious disease. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the the flu, so too can a few
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fare-beaters and grattiti artists fuel a subway crime wave, or a satisfied customer fill the empty tables of a new restaurant. These social epidemics, and the moment when they take off, when they reach their critical mass, is The Tipping Point. Show Less
Awards
Pages
301
ISBN
0316346624 / 9780316346627
Lexile
1160L