The Tipping Point

Tipping points are "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable". Gladwell defines a tipping point as a sociological term, 'the boiling point'. In this book, Malcolm Gladwell tries to make the point of the importance of people and 'word of mouth' in terms of success. For example, the rise in popularity and sales of Hush Puppies shoes in the mid-1990s. 'Gladwell also includes two chapters of case studies, situations in which tipping point concepts were used in specific situations. These situations include the athletic shoe company Airwalk, the diffusion model, how rumours are spread, decreasing the spread of syphilis in Baltimore, teen suicide in Micronesia, and teen smoking in the U.S.' It is a thrilling book, and one that everyone should read.