The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell

Serial-esque foray into the psychology of epidemics. Fashion, business, TV, cigarettes, suicide, crime, and disease are among the areas of fodder for Mr. Gladwell’s persuasive and artful dissection of what makes certain ideas take off and others stall on the launching pad. Failure doesn’t always have a lot to do with how good the idea is. Plenty of good ideas never make it because they don’t take root in the collective conscience of the public or because necessary influential people aren’t involved. The author identifies three different key components of why things may go “viral” and gives us examples of each. “The few” are those influential people who have connected themselves more widely and effectively in their world and become the catalyst for a new idea taking root. The “stickiness” is how well something retains its allure after people are exposed to it. A great idea might be compelling for a short period of time, but it has limited value if it doesn’t remain in the audience’s mind. The “context” is the environment in which the idea resides. Sometimes success of an idea or product can be achieved simply by changing the context of how it is marketed. Mr. Gladwell provides a different way for us to look at what makes good ideas work (and fail) with evidence and research to support his claims. There is likely something in here for most everybody, both in work and home life. Of particular value to me are the sections in which he discusses early childhood learning (Sesame Street and other TV programs) and adolescent smoking. A quick and thought-provoking read.