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Marley Felder

Mr. Spiller

Stats Advanced

22 August 2017

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell focus on why epidemics thrive or fail.

According to this novel, any trend can be explained as an epidemic; whether it is a sudden halt of

crime in New York City, the comeback of Hushpuppy shoes, or the contagiousness of yawns. A

tipping point is the crucial moment in a trend in which a series of small causes become

powerful enough to cause a larger change. Gladwell first introduced this idea in an article he

wrote in 1966, but he did not publish this novel until February of 2000. In his novel, Gladwell

goes into detail about the three important rules of epidemics; the Law of The Few, the Stickiness

Factor, and the Power of Context, which allow trends to grow and prosper.

In the Law of the Few, Gladwell explains how "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" (pg 33). These extraordinary people are either called Connectors (who link up the

world), Mavens (who accumulate knowledge), or Salesman (who make an idea impossible to

resist). To explain this rule, Gladwell uses the example of Paul Revere and his midnight ride.

Paul Revere was definitely a special man, possessing qualities of each of these categories. Not

only did he convincingly spread the message across New England that the British troops were

coming, but he also made it his mission to study the movements of the troops, had vast

knowledge of the area, and knew exactly which people would spread the message most
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efficiently. Although William Dawes had the same information as Revere, Dawes did not

possess those same qualities that are critical to word of mouth epidemics. Therefore, his

message did not catch on as quickly and many cities he should have warned were defeated by the

British. The Stickiness Factor is the quality the message needs to be successful, how effective a

product or idea stays in the mind of a person. Gladwells third rule, the Power of Context, is how

environmental factors influence the successfulness of trends. Towards the end of the book,

Gladwell states that changes is always possible and makes the reader feel capable of making

change.

The Tipping Point relates to a college level statistics course because Gladwell uses the

same major concepts and tools for analyzing data and drawing conclusions. Gladwell uses

graphs and numerical techniques to show patterns in all of his examples, including the spread of

syphilis in Baltimore. In the space of a year, from 1995 to 1996, the number of children born

with the disease increased by 500 percent. If you look at Baltimore's syphilis rates on a graph,

the line runs straight for years and then, when it hits 1995, rises almost at a right angle (page

16). In the novel, Gladwell also anticipate patterns. According to Gladwell, a little push in the

right place will help the problem of smoking. Rather than huge, expensive public education

projects, it might only be necessary to tweak the recipe of cigarettes so that smokers still get a

buzz but not enough to become addicted.

In todays world, understanding numbers and statistics is as important as ever. In order

to understand the data and claims presented daily, one must have a solid understanding of

statistics. Understanding statistics allows a person to stay on top of things and be able to

distinguish good from faulty reasoning, which is vital to making the decisions possible. I believe
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statistics is one of the most important things a person can study. The study of statistics applies to

me especially because I plan on majoring in finance. Using statistics to analyze trends in the

stock and bond markets is crucial for success.

By the end of the year, I would definitely like to distinguish good from faulty evidence

and be able to predict future trends. Hopefully, I will no longer be fooled by misleading

advertisements or other data. I hope to understand how to predict future trends so Ill be able to

apply that to the stock and bond market.

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Favorite Part: power of context examples. When people are in a group, in other words,

responsibility for acting is diffused. They assume that someone else will make the call, or they assume

that because no one else is acting, the apparent problem. Kitty Genovese, had been attacked and killed on

the street. Although thirty-eight people heard her scream, not a single person called the police. Also, two

social scientists, Latane and Darley, conducted an experiment where a student had an epileptic fit in a

room alone. When there was just one person next door, they rushed to the students age 85% of the time.

But when subjects thought that there were four others also overhearing the seizure, they came to the

student's aid only 31 percent of the time. Similar results occurred in an experiment done with smoke

seeping out of a doorway.

Part that relates to my life the most: After reading the tipping point, Ive begun looking at the

people in my life and their interactions with others more closely. I now notice and look for the Mavens,

Connectors, and Salesmen. Also, I now realise how a little bit of work in the right places can be much

more effective than a lot of time, money, and effort. Thereofore, Ive been inspired to make changes and

be smarter about them.

Application: This concept plays off of the idea that a small action, such as nudging a domino,

causes a large chain reaction. Gladwell believes that in marketing a large chain reaction can result in the

vast promotion of your product. The key to successfully implementing Gladwell's strategy is finding the

appropriate trigger for your niche in the market. You must fully understand your target audience to choose

a trigger that is effective in connecting with them.

Title: The book seeks to explain and describe the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark

everyday life. Ideas, products, and messages spread like virus do. The examples of such changes in his

book include the rise in popularity and sales of Hush Puppies shoes in the mid-1990s and the precipitous

drop in the New York City crime rate after 1990.

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