Few pages into Outliers and I discovered a writer to appreciate. I committed to engaging his writings. I read Gladwell's works for two reasons: I. His writing style II. His crafting of interesting stories from scientific data.
Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian writer, journalist, podcaster, and public intellectual. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker.
The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference is Gladwell's debut in authorship. I like debuts. The book takes a closer look at what epidemics are. It analyses what causes a phenomenon, like the HIV/AIDS, to become so rampant that it earns the description "epidemic". Consider the COVID-19 pandemic. 'The Tipping Point', Gladwell writes 'is the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point. . . The name given to that one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at once is the Tipping Point'. Overall the book attempts to respond to these questions:
1. Why is it that some ideas or behaviours or products start epidemics and others don't?
2. What can we do to deliberately start and control positive epidemics of our own?
Image source: Tarbiyah Books Plus
Drawing from research works by experts in various fields from sociology to psychology, blended with historical narratives, Gladwell X-rays the three rules of epidemics in response to the questions above: The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context. The first talks about a few people who are vital pieces in making a cause to tip thereby becoming an epidemic: the connectors, mavens, and salesmen; each category of individuals play a distinct role. The second law talks about how the inherent quality of the message or product is very key to making an epidemic. The power of context talks about the impact the environment has on the message, idea, agenda been propagated.
Of all the narratives put forth and expositions, the one which gripped me the most was the Broken Window Theory. That is the strategy adopted by the police force in New York City to cut down on the raging cases of crime in the city in the late 1990s. The theory simply states that:
If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. In a city, relatively minor problems like graffiti, public disorder, and aggressive panhandling, they write, are all the equivalent of broken windows, invitations to more serious crimes (pg. 141).
It suggests that when a damage is caused on the normal conditions in the society it is punished immediately. Such that whoever thinks of doing anything similar will not be encouraged by seeing an unattended issue on ground. Some of the misconduct in our societies can be addressed by the adoption of a response inspired by the Broken Window theory. The story of Paul Revere’s ride in 1775 which fostered the American revolution was also an interesting narrative; and his classification as a connector.
Reading through the book was an enlightening and informative experience. Gladwell reads like an advisory. He reads like a think-tank for administration. In my quiet lament against the disregard for scientific research and statistical information in policy formulation in my country Nigeria, Gladwell provides a template with which those who understand the value of data can help make it's value known to administration and the general public.
This book is a recommendation for advertisers, educators, graphic artists, videographers, students of statistics, social scientists, and for anyone who seeks to understand, from another perspective, the psychology of how we interact with one another and information as humans.
Noteworthy information: My copy of the book was a gift from Lengdung Tungchamma; this year in April.