BOOK REVIEW: The Tipping Point

To master the power of fads, trends, and movements, you simply have to think like a virus. That is, according to Malcolm Gladwell, at least. In his book The Tipping Point, Gladwell seeks to explain exactly what makes some ideas take off and causes others to languish in obscurity. While the book tends to be written with marketing in mind, the implications that it has for the world of online politics are still numerous.

One of Gladwell’s chief observations is that, regardless of the marketing technique or tipping points surrounding a given trend, content is still king, especially in the early going. People might catch on to a clothing trend once the audience of connectors, mavens, and salesmen are on board, but there has to be something that draws in those groups to begin with. Without the initial interest, whether it’s generated by quality or quirk, the idea has no chance of taking off. This is especially important in the political world, where the field of both online and offline messages gets more crowded every day.

Gladwell’s examples run the gamut, from expected (the resurgence of Hush Puppies in the 90s fashion world) to surprising (the sudden decline of New York’s staggering crime rates). However, they each have one thing in common: the all tipped because of subtle nuanced factors far outside most observers’ fields of vision. For Gladwell, the devil is in the details, and having the ability to recognize and monkey with these particulars is generally the difference between a successful campaign and a fair to middling one. For online organizers, this means that things like button placement on a website, or the delivery style of actors in a campaign ad might be all it takes to make or break an otherwise politically sound message. While scary to some, this concept also insures that those who’ve trained themselves to spot such problems are guaranteed a spot in the process.

Speaking as a keen-eyed, would-be political consultant, I find that heartening, at least.