The Tipping Point

It seems like I was seeing references to Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point all over the place and, having read the book, now I see why. Gladwell's idea is an elaboration of what people have long called critical mass, but with some new terms for the individuals who are involved in the distribution of ideas. The book was hugely popular and influential, so I don't feel like I need to describe it at length. What I'd rather do is look at why this was such a popular book (why it "tipped", as it were) and where its effects are being felt.

Gladwell is a good thinker. He has a solid idea and elaborates on it appropriately for a book of this length. I think the key to his success, though, is that he gives good examples. The Tipping Point is in many ways a business book. Gladwell uses the time-honored tradition of the case study to make most of his points. And we readers love a case study. It's a story, after all. It's fun to read the stories of how Airwalk and the Ya Ya Sisterhood lady hit it big. It's interesting to hear about how some people are connectors and mavens and it rings true when we think about the people we know. I realized, reading this book, that I'm a wannabe maven. All along, this blog has been about sharing the things that I like with the rest of the world.

This article about growing crime rates in medium-sized American cities makes me think that the nation's thinkers have long since digested Gladwell's ideas. I finally understand why companies pay some people (cooler-looking people than me, I assume) to order their drinks in bars now, too. I'll have to look for Freakonomics vs. Tipping Point essays about legal abortion vs. "broken windows" explaining the crime drop in NYC (though why not both)?

I know nobody much reads this blog, but if you're here and have an idea or link, please share it in a comment.