The Tipping Point

A friend of a friend said...

The tipping point is defined as the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place. Unit four presents an interesting interview that host Malcom Gladwell, the writer of The Tipping point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. In this book, Malcom Gladwell defines a tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point". Moreover, he explains and describes the "mysterious" sociological changes that mark everyday life. In the interview Gladwell identifies three kinds of people who spread ideas. First, connectors are people who know everybody, and they are extraordinary people who are consumed by getting to know people. Second, mavens are people who have specialized knowledge, and they know everything about a subject. Third, salesmen are persuasive, and they have a strong natural ability to win you over. Finally, Gladwell states that a word-of-mouth epidemic is most successful if a maven works with a connector to spread the epidemic.

Personally, I think that word-of-mouth is an important component in starting a “social epidemic”, such as a fashion trend, or the popularity of a new product. We are social human beings, and communication is intrinsic to our humanity. Thus, we always like share our ideas, experiences, etc. Most of the time we obtain things through the experience of someone else. For example, you buy a cake in the new neighborhood bakery because a neighbor, or a friend told you about it, “I bought a cake in the new bakery across the park, and it was terrific. You have to try it!”.  So, there is always a friend, a relative, a neighbor, etc. who recommends you buy something or to visit some place like a restaurant, a boutique or any other place. Thus, the effect of word-of-mouth is doubtless.