Review of "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

I found The Tipping Point overall to be a very interesting read. Oftentimes I have seen Internet videos (ex: the new and adorable Baby it's Cold Outside rendition), pictures (ex: Humans of New York), posts, etc. become viral. Upon viewing/consuming this viral content, I usually can understand why it is so popular, but a lot of times I have wondered how that content came to be so popular. I wondered who or what was the factor that caused it to rise to widespread attention to captivate such a large audience on social media. In other words, I wanted to know when and how this content "tipped", and I was happy to find that The Tipping Point answered this question very thoroughly.

I think the most interesting concept presented in the book was about the Connectors, Mavens, and Salesman...all of which were the types of people who can be responsible for the successful spread of epidemics. Malcolm Gladwell describes connectors as the people with the rapport and widespread credibility necessary to influence other and spark movements on a broad spectrum. Mavens are the ones with in-depth knowledge about certain topics and a deep desire to use their knowledge to help others, as well as induce change and opinion-building. Salesmen are people who use their tactics to persuade; they have the credibility of a Connector and the knowledge of a Maven, but use their skills for "selling" a 

particular item or idea.

Gladwell discussed how all three of these types of people are needed in order to spike an epidemic such as Hush Puppies (which was commonly referenced throughout the book). With the thorough breakdown of each type of person and their role, I was intrigued at how much sense it makes that these three types of people are the agents of change, and I believe I can start to recognize these agents at work on epidemics such as social media trends and viral videos.

Another point of discussion I thought was interesting was the Stickiness Factor, which, in its breakdown, discussed the differences between the development of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues. I never would have thought before that Blue's Clues would trump Sesame Street simply because of its, well, simplicity (ex: characters named by the object they are, like Mailbox the mailbox). However, I can understand how such a literal interpretation can resound well with young audiences, and I can see how the very small increases in viewer salience launch a program far above its competitors. It's interesting, really. And I believe that Gladwell once again did a great job in explaining just how this approach works in tipping popularity.

The Power of Context discussion was also quite fascinating. This, again, deals with small differences in a scenario, whether it's a simple cleanup, or a game of just a couple of numbers. All in all, Gladwell went into depth in this explanation to prove that small things really can make a difference. It was amazing to read about the experiments and examples that proved this point.

All in all, this was a very good read, and this book gave me some valuable insight as both an aspiring reporter and a social media manager. I feel that, thanks to Gladwell's examples, I have a better understanding of how things "tip" into something infectious, whether it be in a good way or a bad way.