This is author and journalist, Malcolm Gladwell’s first of five thought provoking books. His other titles, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Outliers: The Story of Success, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, a collection of his journalism, and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants all reached the New York Times top 100. This sociological, psychological and research centric exploration of why some ideas, fads, concepts and movements tip beyond a local phenomenon and become nationally or world renowned in contrast to other, arguably, equally as important events.
In the beginning of the book Malcolm explores the need for connectors, mavens and salesmen as essential to creating a social epidemic. He then moves on to discuss what he calls”the stickiness factor” or how do social constructs and ideas bind themselves to the larger audience. Finally, Malcolm explores the idea of social context (perspective) and its role on society.
While some of Gladwell’s ideas appear too simple or basic for true effectiveness, and some of his original ideas have fallen under criticism for the overt generality of certain complex issues, his overall premise remains compelling and even if not agreed upon, at least worth the exploration in an attempt to broaden ones own possibilities. The Tipping Point is worth ones investment of time.