A friend recommended “The Tipping Point” to me. They even went to the trouble of getting the book and delivering it to me. While they would not tell me what they found so interesting about the book, they slyly insisted that reading it would “Streeeeeeeeeeeeetch” my imagination. Well, I plunged into the book and emerged gasping. Have I been tipped the double? or Is it an attempt to streeeeeeeeeetch my mind till it breaks?
Strangely, the book seems to have really hit the market with a bang. It is so popular. While I have no data on the number of people who bought the book (for whatever reason), every book store seems to be stocking the book. The circle of friends to whom I mentioned the book nodded wisely and pretended that they had read the book or were at least interested enough to chech out what Gladwell had to say in the book.
What does he have to say? What are the facts he is laboring to prove? The Three Rules of Epidemics lays the foundation for the argument. Often forces converge to a point where the scales are tipped and an epidemic occurs.
A recast of the “critical mass” concept? Perhaps.
He argues that “The laws of the few” is governed bythe nature of the messenger. The connectors, the mavens and the salesmen often tip the balance and create word of mouth campaigns that spread with widening ripples round the globe. ( Is this the “tipping point” social media consultants are seeking to exploit?–sounds like it!) While the argument is impressive, the examples are painstakingly fitted into the frame and are not the seamless “best fit” instances.
“The stickiness factor” is about Seasame Street, Blue’s Clues and Educational viruses. It is about making sure that what is said sticks to the memory. Great idea. It is seen as a useful factor in creating literary epidemics, educational epidemics and advertising gimmicks! Again the instances fill the pages and get unstuck from the mind
“The Power of context” and the rise and fall of New York Crime is bizarre! Goetz actions are seen as the tipping point of crime. The dark night before the dawn etc. Really, there is a limit to streeeeeeeetching the point. Small changes in environment brings about large changes of context is the burden of the arguments and as the book progresses, the reader is “burdened” with examples that will not fit neatly into the defined slots of logic!
On the whole “The Tipping Point” was an experience in mental streeeeeeeeeeetching. My friend was right it streeeeeeeeeeeeched my imagination to the point of failure!
