The Tipping Point by Gladwell Malcolm - Book Report/Review Example

Argumentative essay “A Tipping Point” A tipping point is the place where a small difference has a significant effect. It is the biography of an infant idea. It is always the best way to understand the trends in fashion, crime wave, rise of teenage smoking or other mysterious changes that occur in the society. The tipping point focuses on how the epidemics start and spread. In the book, a ground breaking analysis of how trends get started in the society becomes observed. The mechanisms in which some trends achieve enormous popularity and others fade have always been thought to be mysterious. However, Gladwell argues in the book that there exist a number of factors that play a vital role in every influential trend and the processes involved are similar (Gladwell 15). In the modern culture, many ideas become constantly introduced from a variety of sources, beginning from the trend setting teenagers in the nation’s metropolitan centers to new products from established organizations. Some of these products achieve consistent success while others fail. Others take an upward trajectory of popularity and influence. For any individual success of a product, there must be pushers of the idea. An idea cannot become a strong hit worldwide without the addition of influential people to enable sold the idea (Gladwell 17). In society, today, the greatest tipping problem is in the fashion industry. Most of the teenagers wear clothes they see in the music videos of their favorite artistes. This has become wide spread as it gets transferred to other countries, as well. Many teenagers dress become influenced by peers and mentors who they see. According to Gladwell there are three key factors that get involved before wide spread can be attained. These include The Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and also the Power of the Context. The kids imitate what they see without caring on how they will appear on the outside (Gladwell 18). The law of the few states that before widespread popularity gets attained, a few influential people, must champion the idea, or the product before it can reach the tipping point. These people become identified as the Connectors, Mavens and the Salesmen. If any of these people endorse a new idea, it is most likely that it will immediately tip into a considerable success. Connectors are the people with different ties in different realms, and they help in building relationships among people. Salesmen get defined as people with extraordinary skills in persuading others and influence their buying decisions. Salesmen can influence what people think of a commodity and make them change their buying decision. Mavens are people who can influence the society in making decisions (Gladwell 20). I agree that the Mavens are the most influential people in the society. The Mavens are pivotal in the society since they play a crucial part in influencing the societal way of thinking towards a particular good. The Mavens can make a brand of commodity become a massive hit or flop. In the society, most of the influential people get used to enable sold a brand to the community. In the fashion industry, these people become used considerably since they can influence what people wear and what they will not wear. According to Gladwell, they are people with a strong compulsion to help other buyers by aiding them in making informed decisions. In the society, these include the music artists that the majority of teenagers admire. The Mavens have influenced the younger generation in making choices on their dressing habits. The teenagers dress the way their mentors dress without checking whether they are appropriate or inappropriate (Gladwell 21). The stickiness factor is another quality that makes people pay close attention to a product. With the mavens in society, the teens do not have the opportunity to make their own choice concerning a clothe. This is because; teens will follow what the superstars wear without considering what others will perceive of them (Gladwell 22). The power of context according to Gladwell, is that, minute changes in the environment can be a boost in making an idea attain the tipping point. However, the changes in the social groups or changes in the community environment that can cause a product to tip, impacts the teens negatively. The kids become affected negatively since they get influenced by the societal changes (Gladwell 28). I agree with Gladwell that the rise in the isolation of the youth is an epidemic in the society. When the youths become isolated they fell left out by the society and that they are no longer wanted. This in turn, has led to the increased rise in the number of suicides committed. This affects the productivity of the nation, as well. Isolating the youth will make the them get involved in drug use, cigarette smoking that is rampant in the society and other drugs. Isolated teenagers tend to imitate others and also try new extreme behaviors and attitudes. They will then engage in dramatic events that can be of negative consequences to the society as a whole. This can be activities such as gun running, crime with violence and even rape cases (Gladwell 30). Teenage Smoking Gladwell uses the spread of smoking in teenagers as an example of a tipping point. He explores the matter on different levels. There are tipping points that will cause a teen to start smoking; also there are tipping points that become associated with smoking behaviors or trends in public. One thing that is fascinating was his assessment of the coolness in smoking (Gladwell 32). Individuals always assume that smoking is refreshing and popular despite the health risks involved because it gets portrayed to be cool. Gladwell argues that smoking has never been refreshing but rather the smokers become seen as aloof. He uses examples and responses from interviews that many of the smokers get influenced by fashionable people who smoked. The government and the public response are not appropriate. Their response becomes flawed, and it makes teens even more likely to smoke (Gladwell 40). By ensuring that smoking sounds rebellious and dangerous, it appeals even more too teenage smokers. The only way to approach the issue according to Gladwell is not to fight their experimentation with smoking but to ensure that experimentation is not going to be dangerous. Not to twist his words, Gladwell suggests that teenagers experimenting with smoking will not be addicted. It sounds rather like a good idea, but it will be exceedingly difficult to implement it than Gladwell makes it sound like (Gladwell 42). In my opinion and from studying and reading about psychology, it is quite evident that, attempting to fight smoking at the tipping points can truly be fought by those people who want the tipping points to be stronger. Cigarette manufacturing companies will rake in billions of dollars a year. If no one is ready to put such money in the anticigarette campaign, it is nearly impossible to stop the trend in smoking because the manufacturing companies will try their best to undo all the kind that gets done. In addition, these cigarette companies have a vast experience in cigarette advertising and they are able to make them sound convincing. No matter what becomes brought against them, they will be able to challenge and defeat it. I agree with Gladwell, but I disagree that he offers any real, valuable advice on how to fight the cigarettes. Works Cited Malcolm, Gladwell. The Tipping Point. Washington: Little Brown, 2000. Read More