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Social Epidemics In Malcolm Gladwell's 'The Tipping Point'

624 Words3 Pages

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell conveys the three rules of epidemics. Gladwell incites that small changes can make a big impact in social epidemics or outbreaks of ideas. Throughout the book he gives examples of various social epidemics, consequently he breaks them down according to the three rules of epidemics, types of people involved, and connection to other epidemics. However, the main focus of the book is the “tipping point” of social epidemics. Gladwell elaborates that small actions can create a “tipping point” based on timing, setting, and partners. He refers to the “tipping point” as the moment an epidemic takes off, it can happen with anything includint; trends, ideas, products, etc. Firstly, Gladwell mentions the three rules of epidemics throughout the book in order to connect the multiple epidemics to one another. Effectively he is able to break down the epidemics into simple, understandable categories clarifying the phenomenon he calls the “tipping point,”. Furthermore, the rules are: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. These three rules portray a way in which one can understand epidemics, particularly how and why they …show more content…

These examples help connect not only the three rule of epidemics, but also the three groups of people necessary to the pattern creating epidemics. Overall The Tipping Point answers questions about human behavior and how society works. The main focus of the book were the tipping points that could be reached by changing small details within an environment like the removal of graffiti in New York’s subways reduced crime rate. And overall, Gladwell proved that our environment is the biggest influence on our lives, behaviors, and

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