I am in the midst of reading this amazing non-fic by Malcolm Gladwell.
Guess I am not the earliest to start this book but i feel like i should input my thoughts regarding his insightful ideas.
So the title of this book is "The Tipping Point".
Perhaps many are familiar with the title. Well, it happens to be one of the top picks on book depository and amazon so it might as well be on the various reading lists of most people.
Basically, the main idea revolves around how a certain phenomenon is caused by epidemics. In every epidemic, there is bound to be a 'tipping point'. Something that tips the scale to cause a significant surge in that particular event. Gladwell believes that these epidemics do not merely occur by chance but are propelled by 2 types of occurrence, namely how contagious and how sticky it is.
Contagion and stickiness should never be lumped together. The common assumption is that they are both describing similar situations. However, the term 'contagion' refers to how fast the ideas spread or how a certain phenomenon could reach a larger target audience whereas 'stickiness' depicts how often that particular behavior manifests itself in particular groups. They might be correlated in some way, for instance, something that spreads quickly like wildfire might continue to stick in individuals but the 'stickiness' factor depends on the initial experience catered to fit the specific individual. It depends whether or not the instances are satisfactory enough to allow groups to adhere to them.
Also, it is worth mentioning that the sociological perspective is fairly evident in instances of this book. In a case study noted in his book, Gladwell claims that "smoking, overwhelmngly, [is] associated with the same thing to nearly everyone: sophistication". I find his opinon glaringly true since many peers who got addicted to smoking started off 'idolising' role models. These 'role models' shape their vision of the behavior of smoking to be cool and complex. Smoking itself is not cool but people who smoked are the ones who are 'cool'. In some way, the act of smoking spreads because of the inherent characteristics that these smokers already possessed. It is not because of the act that caused them to inherit a certain demeanor, but rather, it is already an intrinsic trait among this community. Furthermore, he mentions that "smoking seemed to evoke a particular kind of childhood memory--vivid, precise [and] emotionally charged". This reveals that a person's history and biography is interspersed where the emotional gratification of the act is at play here. The motion of engaging in smoking appears to fill up a void that is reminiscent of the carefree moments in the past.
Coming back to the 3 distinct personality types that Gladwell discusses in the text, they are the Maven, the Salesman and the Connector respectively. A Maven is one who "accumulates knowledge". In every marketplace, there is bound to be people who are well-versed with information and it is because of these pieces of information that certain behaviors are encouraged. For instance, using Gladwell's example in the book, when a retailer puts a PROMOTION sign on an item, it automatically boosts sales. This is apparently due to the information the maven retailers produce that perpetuate the consumer-oriented behavior in the shoppers: that is to buy more of that product even though the price is in fact the same. A saleman is exactly what the role portrays. He typically announces a certain phenomenon to reach out to more people. Another variant of the Saleman personality that has more influence is the Persuader--one who tries to persuade people to adapt to a certain choice that is approved by him and might not be the message intended by the larger body. Lastly, the Connector refers to people with huge networks. Basically, the connector is the modern-day socialite who associates with many people (be it of people of influence or common-folk) and through those massive networks, spread certain ideas or behaviour that inspire others to follow suit.
To sum up, any phenomenon would turn into an epidemic when there are these 3 types of people and the rate it spreads or sticks is also dependent on the contagious/stickiness factor of the particular event. The book is definitely an interesting read for non-fic starters due to the relatable case studies and thought-provoking ideas that are neither too abstract or too technical to understand.
Going back to my initial question, which type are you then?
