To the Tip of the Top

If you pass by a bookstore and need a book that enlightens and entertains you pick up Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. It’s a book about Malcom’s theory on how an idea, trend or social behavior becomes an epidemic.

 

Gladwell defines The Tipping Point as “the biography of an idea”. At what point does something become an epidemic? What “tips” ideas, products, messages and behaviors to spread like viruses? The Tipping Point is “ the name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once”.

            I like how the book defines epidemics. It says that epidemics have three characteristics: contagiousness, the fact that little causes can have big effects, and that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment. The Tipping Point is the element that causes that dramatic moment. It is the push that sets off the dominoes. It is the combination of factors that push a product into becoming an epidemic. There are three rules of the Tipping Point that Gladwell claims help make sense of epidemics.

Ø    The Law of the Few

o      “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.”

Ø    The Stickiness Factor

o      In Epidemics the messages matters; it has to be memorable in order to spread.

Ø    The Power of Context

o      “Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur.”

           

The Law of the Few defines three types of people: Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. Connectors are people with at gift for bringing people together. They do not necessarily have close friends but they have an abundant amount of acquaintances. They are the people that we go to in order to “connect” to the rest of the world. They introduce us to most of our friends and link us with people that we otherwise would not have met. Mavens are people with a vast amount of knowledge. They help themselves by helping us solve a problem, buy a car, or reserve a hotel room. They search for the lowest prices and they spread the information to their friends and find pleasure out of doing so. Salesmen are the persuaders. They perform a “dance” with you and persuade you into doing what they want you to do. They sell the product or the idea.

While reading through the book I explained to my roommates the qualifications of each type of person. Then, I asked them what they thought I was. Their answer was a mix. I can be considered a Connector because of the road my life has taken me on. Moving twenty-one times allows for a person to know people in many different locations. I also have only a few friends that I let get close to me emotionally while I many acquaintances. I’m a Maven when it comes to saving money and finding the best deals. When I buy a product I want to know that product inside and out and make sure I am not over paying. I went to over six stores pricing candy for the Homecoming to make sure I was getting Phi Mu the best deal. I am a salesperson because I was brought up to be one. My dad’s profession is sales. I have watched and observed him and have learned a lot. When working in retail and even when selling advertisements it comes naturally. It’s a game to me. How persuasive can I be?

Social media is an excellent way to contribute to being a connector. It allows for you to keep in touch with your acquaintances and connect other people to them. Twitter is the Internet’s version of a connector. Especially with the limit of characters allowed. The limit of characters is the equivalent of an acquaintance instead of a close friend. Close friends can direct message.

In order to “tip” the athletic auction I think we need to define ourselves as a class. Who in class is a Connector? A Maven? A Salesperson? By defining who is what, we can create a mini epidemic. The Connectors can link the Salespeople to people throughout campus who have influence. The maven can accompany the salesperson in order to answer random questions and be the encyclopedia of knowledge while the salesperson “sells” the auction. We need to create our own chain of events and spark an epidemic. Connectors will have connections into clubs and organizations that we can send a salesperson to personally talk the auction up. It has to be a group effort instead of separate entities and we have to realize our individual strengths and weaknesses. 

Good book. I am being a Maven and passing it on to my dad after this.