"The Tipping Point" Review

“The Tipping Point,” by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that explores and explains the ideas behind the “tipping point” phenomenon. This phenomenon is how people around the globe consume products, ideas and culture. According to the book, a targeted push can cause a fashion trend or trend of a new product just like one sick person can start an epidemic. This is a very relevant metaphor considering that the world is currently facing a pandemic, but also revolves around many of the ideas explained in “The Tipping Point.” 

            The book explains the process of which an epidemic spreads. It starts with one ill person, then instantly spreads and infects a handful of others who also spread it, creating an epidemic. According to the book, any type of behavior, message, product, trend, etc. can also spread throughout a population in the same fashion starting with one person. The book states, “Epidemics don’t build gradually and steadily; they grow and reach a boiling point or critical mass, at which point they explode and turn into an epidemic. That threshold is called the tipping point.”

            In my opinion, the book does an excellent job at teaching readers exactly what the “tipping point” means in mass communication and the effects it has on the world and its populations. An epidemic was a great comparison and brilliant way to teach the process of the tipping point. In my opinion, I learn best when the new information that I am learning about is compared to something familiar or already know. Using the background information and process of an epidemic instantly helped me understand the focus of the book and how society uses the “tipping point” strategies in everyday life without even noticing it. Focusing on how to push ideas and products to create a “social epidemic,” the book gives three factors that are regulated and corrected in order to create a successful tipping point: the messenger, the message and the context of the message. 

            It was also interesting to read and learn about something so similar to an epidemic considering the situation the world is currently in. It is interesting how the explanations in the book are very similar to the current state of the world’s health, but also the social trends. One sick person in Wuhan, China was able to create an entire pandemic that infected the entire globe. Although this goes deeper than just a regular epidemic, this was the same process of progression that was spoken about in the book. However, the tipping point of the current pandemic is also as strong as the various tipping points the country faces when it comes to products, trends and messages. For example, not only did we face a tipping point of the actual virus, but we also went through a tipping point in relaying the message of the virus. Like the book talked about, a messenger relayed the message which then spread to more people. Before we knew it, the message about the coronavirus was worldwide and spread like a wildfire, even though it began in China. 

            “The Tipping Point” was an easily understandable, interesting and great book that gave great information about how trends work, especially in mass communication. This was not only educational, but very entertaining to read!