The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (2000, Hardcover)

Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point considers the elements needed to make a particular movement gain mass appeal. The title concept, "tipping point," occurs when something that began small- a few funky kids in New York's East Village wearing Hush Puppies- turns into something very large- millions of Hush
Puppies are sold. According to the author, the success of advancing any idea depends on three rules: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.

Gladwell offers a theory of social dynamics that he contends will provoke a mass behavioral change. He offers numerous anecdotes to make his point: Paul Revere's ride, the creation of the children's TV program Sesame Street, and the influence of subway shooter Bernie Goetz. After analyzing a number of fascinating psychological studies, he propses that tipping points occur when subtle alterations in the environment, such as the eradication of graffiti, are enacted by a small number of people who act as connectors, mavens, and salesmen. As he applies his strikingly counter-intuitive hypotheses to everything from the "stickiness," or popularity, of certain children's television programs to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, Gladwell reveals that our cherished belief in the autonomy of the self is based, in
great part, on wishful thinking.

Tipping Point has the feel of a cut-and-paste narrative- which is probably attributable to Gladwell's journalistic background- and is definitely not the stuff of deep academic research, or sociological thought. It is, however, an entertaining read that I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND and should affirm what we already knew, if we were honest with ourselves.