Tipping Point

Book by Malcolm Gladwell, and concept.

Concept Description

"After studying the dynamics of a number of these cases of information spreading across information networks, Gladwell (2000 p. 19-29) identified three characteristics of information viruses that are able to reach the explosive phase, what Gladwell calls ‘The Tipping Point’.

The three rules of the tipping point include ‘The Law of the Few’, ‘The Stickyness Factor’, and ‘The Power of Context’.

1. The law of the few: A tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work. Power law distribution of connectivity in networks dictate, that

2. The stickiness factor: Epidemics tip because of the efforts of a few select carriers. The epidemic spreads exponentially from a relatively small group of initial carriers that have a high number of connections.

3. The power of context: Context is paramount in spreading a virus. Given the right initial context, an epidemic can spread over a number of different contexts with different conditions for connection and diffusion of fads." (http://dotjonas.net/wordpress/?page_id=7)

More Information

1. Duncan Watts debunks Malcolm Gladwell, http://www.bnet.com/blog/best-business-books/a-scientific-view-of-why-ideas-go-viral/331