The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

On the inside flap of this book, there's a subject classification: Current Affairs. I don't think so. It's simply a lot of psychological and sociological studies, couched in a few interviews and case studies, that touch on some modern issues.

That's not to say it's bad, if you like this sort of thing. And I do. I find it all fascinating. The subject of the book is trends: why do they start? Why do some catch on and others don't? What goes into the making of a trend? In this case, "trend" has a broad definition. The rise in urban crime in the '70s and '80s was a trend. Teen smoking is a trend. The re-emergence of Hush Puppies is a trend. And on and on.

Gladwell first notes how, to start a trend, you need some way to get it rolling. The best is word of mouth. He defines three types of people -- Mavens, Collectors, and Salesmen -- who do this best. Mavens are wise-elder types -- you go to them when you have a problem or want to know the best place to get a knish. Collectors are people who know EVERYBODY. Salesmen are ... well, salesman. Any of these people can spread the word to many other people, and your trend is on the way.

Or you can tweak your presentation. Gladwell describes how Sesame Street was created. Originally, the Muppets weren't supposed to inhabit the same world as the humans -- it was thought to confuse children. Instead, NOT doing that turned children off. So the Sesame Street creators went against conventional wisdom, put Big Bird next to Mr. Hooper, and a hit was born. Similarly, a marketer added a kitschy gold box to the old Columbia Record Club ads and saw interest shoot up.

All this is well and good, but it doesn't take you anywhere. The most interesting discussions are devoted to crime and teen smoking. The former suddenly tipped when... well, for a variety of reasons, but the most interesting is the "broken windows" theory. If you have a block with broken windows, it creates an attitude of despondency and carelessness; fix 'em, and keep fixing them, and it sends a message that the neighborhood cares. In other words, more cops are great, but it's the little things -- like pride of place -- that can deter crime. Gladwell suggests we look at crime the way we look at health epidemics, and deter it in the same way we would get rid of a health epidemic. (Interestingly, the Centers for Disease Control is looking at gun violence that way -- we'll see what comes out of its work.)

On the other hand, no matter what's thrown at teen smokers -- education, ID laws, anti-smoking advertising -- the rate of teen smoking stubbornly refuses to drop. Gladwell proposes this is for a seemingly simple reason: smoking looks cool. That is, peers function as the strongest influence on teens (not parents or elders), and a sizable percentage of the peers who are "cool" tend to pick up cigarettes. Also, Gladwell offers stats showing that smoking and, for that matter, drugs aren't as addictive as authorities would have us believe. They ARE addictive for a portion of the population -- perhaps a third. But there are many recreational smokers who can go hours or days without a cigarette, but don't mind a puff once in awhile.

Anyway, it's all food for thought. If you like this sort of thing, Gladwell presents it in entertaining and well-written fashion. If you don't care, well, it ain't a must-read. ***1/2