The Tipping Point/Gladwell 256-end

257 …we need a convenient shortcut, a way to make a lot out of a little, and that is what Tipping Points, in the end, are all about.

258 Those who are successful at creating social epidemics do not just do what they think is right. They deliberately test their intuitions.

259 We are actually powerfully influenced by our surrounding, our immediate context, and the personalities of those around us.

…how acutely sensitive we are to even the smallest details of the everyday life. That’s why social change is so volatile and so often inexplicable, because it is the nature of all of us to be volatile and inexplicable.

Merely by manipulating the size of a group, we can dramatically improve its receptivity to new ideas. By tinkering with the presentation of information, we can significantly improve its stickiness. Simply by finding and reaching those few special people who hold so much social power, we can shape the course of social epidemics. In the end, Tipping Points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action. Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push –in the right place—it can be tipped.