The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Paperback
Author: Visit Amazon's Malcolm Gladwell Page - ISBN: 0316346624 - Language: English - Format: PDF, EPUB
DESCRIPTION
Amazon.com Review
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of memetics will recognize this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.
For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.
Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point," like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
The premise of this facile piece of pop sociology has built-in appeal: little changes can have big effects; when small numbers of people start behaving differently, that behavior can ripple outward until a critical mass or "tipping point" is reached, changing the world. Gladwell's thesis that ideas, products, messages and behaviors "spread just like viruses do" remains a metaphor as he follows the growth of "word-of-mouth epidemics" triggered with the help of three pivotal types. These are Connectors, sociable personalities who bring people together; Mavens, who like to pass along knowledge; and Salesmen, adept at persuading the unenlightened. (Paul Revere, for example, was a Maven and a Connector). Gladwell's applications of his "tipping point" concept to current phenomena--such as the drop in violent crime in New York, the rebirth of Hush Puppies suede shoes as a suburban mall favorite, teenage suicide patterns and the efficiency of small work units--may arouse controversy. For example, many parents may be alarmed at his advice on drugs: since teenagers' experimentation with drugs, including cocaine, seldom leads to hardcore use, he contends, "We have to stop fighting this kind of experimentation. We have to accept it and even embrace it." While it offers a smorgasbord of intriguing snippets summarizing research on topics such as conversational patterns, infants' crib talk, judging other people's character, cheating habits in schoolchildren, memory sharing among families or couples, and the dehumanizing effects of prisons, this volume betrays its roots as a series of articles for the New Yorker, where Gladwell is a staff writer: his trendy material feels bloated and insubstantial in book form. Agent, Tina Bennett of Janklow & Nesbit. Major ad/promo. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
DETAILS
- Paperback: 301 pages
- Publisher: Back Bay Books (January 7, 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9780316346627
- ISBN-13: 978-0316346627
- ASIN: 0316346624
- Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > Business & Money > Marketing & Sales > Advertising
- #9 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Social Psychology & Interactions
- #11 in Books > Business & Money > Marketing & Sales > Marketing
REVIEWS
The Tipping Point How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Malcolm Gladwell on Amazon com FREE shipping on qualifying offers The tipping point is that magic 149 Reviews The Tipping Point How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Amazon co uk Malcolm Gladwell Books The Tipping Point How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference is the debut book by Malcolm Gladwell first published by Little Brown in 2000 Gladwell defines a Blink The Power of Thinking Without Thinking is the second book by Malcolm Gladwell It presents in popular science format research from psychology and behavioral WHAT MAKES AMERICAN CAPITALISM SURVIVE See Bob Jensen 39 s December 31 2002 updates on the accounting and finance scandals can be found at http www trinity edu Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1996 He is the author of The Tipping Point Blink Outliers and What the Dog Saw It 39 s not often that I like a book so listen up and listen well If someone had given me the bare bones outline of Tipping the Velvet and suggest I read it I 39 d have and outlines three big picture perspectives that can frame Inc London Phoenix Paperback What Difference Does It Make 33 Peak Beard Followers of all things hirsute particularly male facial hair have recently declared peak beard The declaration means that it s no longer cool Quite useful though it won 39 t make you a poet if you haven 39 t the soul of one
I read this book in part of one day - it's a good, quick read. Unlike some of the people who didn't care for the book - I never read the New Yorker article. It may be that the book doesn't add enough new info to excite folks who have read that article. But to me the book threw out a good number of new ideas and concepts very quickly and very clearly. I found his ability to draw a nexus between things that, on the surface seem very divergent, was very interesting, and he did it smoothly, without jumping around a lot.
The thrust of the book is that there are three things that can converge to bring about dramatic and perhaps unexpectedly fast changes in our society. These are the context (the situational environment - especially when it's near the balance or 'tipping point'), the idea, and the people involved. His point is that very small changes in any or several of the context, the quality of the idea (which he calls 'stickiness', ie how well the idea sticks), or whether the idea reaches a very small group of key people can trigger a dramatic epidemic of change in society.
"In a given process or system some people matter more than others." (p.19). "The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts." (p.33).
He divides these gifted people into three categories: Connectors, Mavens and Salespeople. "Sprinkled among every walk of life ... are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors." (p. 41). "I always keep up with people." (p. 44 quoting a "Connector").
PREVIEW
The Tipping Point DOWNLOAD
No comments:
Post a Comment