“The Tipping Point”, written by Malcom Gladwell is a book about how the little thins can make a big difference. The book investigates how trends start and Gladwell comes up with some interesting theories. He breaks down certain trend setters into categories.
The tipping point in a trend, idea, or social behavior is the point at which it tips and spreads like wildfire. (Gladwell)
Similar to the butterfly effect, the tipping point is when everything falls into place or sometimes out of place. In this book, Gladwell does well to show how little things could change everything. In advertising for example, when you sell a product, having a celebrity star in your advertisement can immediately get people buying the product.
Gladwell splits up workers into three categories: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen.
Connectors: Are often celebrities or very popular people. Their popularity could be based off of anything and are not necessarily valuable for their intellect or achievements. These are people who know the right people. Their words carry weight simply because of their popularity.
Mavens: experts in a particular subject or many subjects. Mavens can be dangerous as well because people tend to give too much credibility to these people. Soon everything they say is believed to be fact simply because they are a known expert in their field.
Salesmen: We know these kind of people. They are quite simply, persuaders. They get you to buy the product, make the investment, and try something new. They could be average citizens, but they have the unique ability to influence powerful people.
Gladwell places the blame on these 3 types of people for starting epidemics. Gladwell calls this the Rule of Few. This says that only 20% of participants in a trend are the creators, the rest are just following these people. The 20% are almost always Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen.
Gladwell’s piece is an interesting look at what it takes to start a trend. In a time where so many people are trying to become internet famous, this is a piece that can be applied to the internet daily. Our culture is so very trendy and before reading this piece I never really looked at why that is. It’s important to know why we do what we do. Why do we follow certain trends like a bunch of sheep? Who are the true trendsetters? These are questions that need to be further explored.
One thing that I think is important to keep in mind is that Gladwell himself is a maven. He is a scientist and an expert in psychology. However, this book is largely theory and opinion. While it’s a very detailed and intriguing look at trends and mass social behavior, we have to be careful not to take everything as fact in this piece. I think Gladwell would even appreciate the skepticism. His book is screaming out to people to become trendsetters and to think twice before falling into a trend that was set by the few. Be skeptical and analyze your behavior to keep yourself at bey.
NFL Draft Prospects 