The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

By Malcolm Gladwell

Read in 9th grade

How do word-of-mouth epidemics work? They start, spread rapidly, start slowing, then go away, right? But how are they started? Gladwell explores the three rules for epidemics. The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. The Law of the Few. All social epidemics are started by three small groups of people. Think about your social circle. If you think about where a relationship started can most be traced back to one person? That person is a Connector. They score very high on tests that determine how many people they know. Paul Revere was this kind of person, and it is this trait that helped him succeed where William Dawes failed. They both had the same information - The British are coming. But Revere was a Connector, and he knew who to inform better than Dawes. That’s why he was able to kickstart the gathering of local militia. He was also a very rare person who had another trait. Mavens. These people are the people who know everything. They are the type of people who will call that info number on the backs of boxes to find out some minute detail about the product. These people also try out new things, and if they like it, they tell their friends. And chances are, word will reach a Connector, who will assist in starting the epidemic. Once an epidemic has budded, the Salesmen help it along. Once something has become well known, they will help people become more receptive to the idea. The second law is the Stickiness Factor. For an epidemic to spread people have to remember it long enough to pass on the “virus”. This comes through a lot of analyzing. When Sesame Street first started, it tested its shows on the Distracter, to see how focused kids would be. They found that the constant loop back to adults didn’t interest kids very much, since they couldn’t understand complex jokes, etc. This was contrary to the thinking of the time. A shoe brand named Airwalk, originally for skateboarders, went big because it was cool. The skateboarders got a special shoe only in local stores, and the rest of the population simply got to ride along with the mainstream shoes. The final factor in epidemics is the Power of Context. This is the idea that environment has a big impact on your thoughts. In New York, subway crime was a big problem, and the police paid little attention to things like not paying the fare and graffiti, choosing instead to catch the big crimes on the subway. However, it was the little things that made a difference. When people didn’t pay the fare, they made it okay for others to follow suit, and that spread until lots of people were doing it. The little crime made it okay, in turn, for big criminals to murder and steal. The graffiti added an unruly note to the whole scene, subtly but visibly impacting the decisions people made. So the next time your want to spread word of something, or find the next big thing, remember these laws.