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Natali's Reviews > The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
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This is Gladwell's most thorough book. It has everything that I wanted from Outliers and Blink: research, diagnosis, and a clear call to action. Although admittedly, the research is not quite as fun as it is in his two following books.
If I had Gladwell's attention, I would ask him this: How do you capitalize on your role as either a Connector, Maven, or Salesmen? And what if you are none of the above, but rather a part of the phenomenon-following mob? Can you aspire to a different role than the one you are naturally gifted with? I identified with the Maven, as I'm sure most journalists do. So what do I do with that beyond disseminating news and culture? Can a Maven be a trend setter or a Connector? Since I don't have Gladwell's attention, I guess that is rhetorical.
One thing I love about Gladwell is that he presents strong theory and analysis in a way that allows for variance. One of my favorite quotes from this book: "That's why social change is so volatile and so often inexplicable, because it is the nature of all of us to be volatile and inexplicable."
If I had Gladwell's attention, I would ask him this: How do you capitalize on your role as either a Connector, Maven, or Salesmen? And what if you are none of the above, but rather a part of the phenomenon-following mob? Can you aspire to a different role than the one you are naturally gifted with? I identified with the Maven, as I'm sure most journalists do. So what do I do with that beyond disseminating news and culture? Can a Maven be a trend setter or a Connector? Since I don't have Gladwell's attention, I guess that is rhetorical.
One thing I love about Gladwell is that he presents strong theory and analysis in a way that allows for variance. One of my favorite quotes from this book: "That's why social change is so volatile and so often inexplicable, because it is the nature of all of us to be volatile and inexplicable."
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March 8, 2009
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March 8, 2009
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Teresa
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Mar 09, 2009 03:52PM
Glad you liked it. The HS where I teach has selected it as a "school-wide" summer reading selection. It'll be interesting to see how 13-17 year-olds respond to it.
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I found your review to be very interesting, as I shared many of the same questions. The example of the Hush Puppie epidemic used in the beginning of the book captured me from the beginning. But as Mr. Gladwell describes, there seems to be only three types of people: Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. To me, his writings imply that you can only be one kind of person, unable to share characteristics from different categories. I question if the difference in these characteristics is so black and white, although I realize that the examples he used, such as the Maven Mark Albert on page 63 were extreme examples. As a student, I feel that I have not fully developed my character and remain unsure as to what role I will fill in the world. After reading his book I understand that cultural epidemics are spread with the collaborative work of Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen, but I am left wondering a few questions. Of the three (Connectors, Mavens or Salesmen), which is the most important? Which one has the largest impact? Is there one type that I should try to become? As the Gladwell says, the category you fall into depends on combination of your character, personality and career. But as a young person I am not sure what that will be yet. This book offered a fascinating insight into what role(s) people play when spreading trends through word of mouth; it also got me thinking about what role I want to play in the future.
