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The Use Of Epidemic In Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point

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In Malcolm Gladwell’s, The Tipping Point, the second chapter discusses the law of the few. While many people think it doesn’t matter what person an idea comes from, Gladwell explains that there are three main groups of people that help epidemics spread. The word epidemic is usually associated with deadly diseases, but Gladwell uses this word in a different context. When he uses the word epidemic he isn’t referring to sickness, but an idea or trend when it hits its tipping point, and begins to spread rapidly from person to person, much like a disease in an actual epidemic. Through Gladwell’s research, these people, known as connectors, mavens, and salesmen, have fundamental roles in creating tipping points. Gladwell uses the example of
Paul …show more content…

These people are crucial in starting epidemics because they know many things. The novel also says, “The fact that Mavens want to help, for no reason at all other than because they like to help, turns out to be an awfully good way of getting someone’s attention” (Gladwell, 67). Mavens and connectors are similar in many ways. Both have similar characteristics, but one could not function properly without one another.
For instance, Connectors need the information and Mavens need people to spread the information. According the novel, Paul Revere is an example of both a Connector and a Maven.
He was able to have the information while knowing just the right people to give it to.
The last kind of people that help start epidemics are salesmen. Gladwell describes these people as having a characteristic that many people don’t have: persuasion. For them, convincing people to do something or buy something is like a second nature. Gladwell says, “Persuasion often works in ways that we do not appreciate. It’s not that smiles and nods are subliminal messages. They are straightforward and on the surface. It’s just that they are incredibly subtle”
(Gladwell, 79). The key to persuasion is nonverbal cues. People are persuaded more by

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