The Tipping Point
I remember the first time I heard the macarena. I thought it was a pretty annoying song, but a lot of other people must have thought it was really great because a few months later everyone was dancing to it, including the presidential candidates. Just like a virus, the song and its associated cheesy dance steps started off with a few folks and then took the country by storm. That point when the macarena took off like wildfire is called the tipping point.
So what made everyone start dancing to that annoying song? And more importantly, what made them stop? What if we could influence what becomes trendy?

Malcolm Gladwell, the author of a new book called The Tipping Point, has taken a huge step toward understanding what influences such trends. Looking at epidemics both from a biological and a social perspective, Gladwell identifies the key characteristics that force some ideas and behaviors into obscurity and launch others into national consciousness. What he finds is that subtle differences can have extremely significant impacts.

To understand the tipping point is to understand contagion, word of mouth, and interpersonal dynamics – in other words, social perspectives. Because I don’t want to turn this column into a book review, I won’t talk about the details of the book and why I could barely put it down. Instead, let’s imagine what could happen if we could influence social epidemics.

For instance, what if we could spread the idea that polluting is a despicable crime? Or that only losers don’t vote? Or that walking in Houston is cool? Or that manufacturing should be seen as a resource/energy cycle rather than a one-way line? Or that energy production really makes more sense at a community level than at a regional level?

One thing I know about the readers of this newsletter is that each of you has ideas of your own to spread, trends to start. If you’re looking for some guidance on starting a social epidemic without spending a million bucks, consider getting your hands on a copy of The Tipping Point. You’ll learn a lot more about how little things, like each of us, can make a big difference.

Happy trendsetting.