Exemplification Paper: The Tipping Point (Essay Sample)

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Exemplification Paper
The tipping point
A tipping point is when a social behavior, an idea, or a certain trend changes all over sudden and then spreads like an epidemic. Just like the way a single sick person would start an epidemic of flu, so is a small push can result to unbelievable changes in social matters and other aspects of life. Malcolm Gladwell explores such phenomenon in his book, “The Tipping Point.” Some people have lived to believe that the mechanisms and processes by which certain trends change exponentially and achieve popularity while others just fade into oblivion is only but a mystery. However, there are actually patterns and factors that play virtual roles in influencing the changes in situations, whether positive or negative. These patterns and factors, if well analyzed, are similar, whether they cause the spread of a dangerous disease, or just a popularity of a certain television show.
The modern culture has it that new ideas are introduced from a wide variety of sources, where some of them fail, and others achieve a measure of consistence in success. According to Gladwell, there are key factors that determine whether each trend will either turn out to be positive or negative. These key concepts include the Stickiness Factor, The Law of the few, and the Power of context (Gladwell 7). These concepts influence how things are done and their outcome, including the influence they will have on the society. For instance, the Law of the Few explains that certain people must champion an idea, a product, or an idea before it can attain a widespread popularity. It explains the reasons behind the failure of some businesses while others succeed despite serving the same market and dealing with the same products. Decision makers and leaders of such businesses determine their success and failure. If the business is led by well experienced people who are able to analyze the market and make critical decisions, it will definitely succeed in the market. On the other hand, when a business lacks experienced or god decision makers, the ideas brought forward will not make the business succeed.
According to the law of the Few, there are various groups of people who influence certain trends, and they are grouped into Mavens, Salesmen, and Connectors. Mavens are the people who help consumers to make informed decisions while deciding on what to buy in the market. This group of people has a wide knowledge about the products in the market. When consumers make decisions without having full knowledge about the products in the market and their prices, they end up having made the wrong decisions. Connectors, as the name suggests help other people to create relationships that may not have occurred. Salesmen, on the other hand, influence the buying decisions and behaviors of other people. The three groups of people usually have a major influence in the business sector. For instance, when a person wants to buy clothes from the shop, the salesmen convenience them on the need to buy the product. If the customer has good connectors, he or she may get the desired type of cloth. Maven will help the customer to make the right decision about the product he or she wants to buy (Gladwell 12)
Stickiness Factor is the quality an idea, product, or a concept has, that makes people pay a close attention. It is the driving force that makes people have a preference for a certain product, concept or idea. The presence or absence of the stickiness factor depends on context. For example, the preference to a television program or an animation depends on its quality and its ability to draw the attention of an individual. “Tom and Jerry” has become a popular animation across the world because it is able to capture people’s attention and change their behaviors. In this way, the program is able to stick into people’s mind and as a result attains popularity. Once an idea or a concept fails to have stickiness in people’s mind, it will not be successful. The emotions such a product or idea creates can influence a magnificent change. Like Gladwell puts it, “Emotion is Contagious.” (Gladwell 13).
Lastly, there is the concept of The Power of Context. In this concept, if the historic moment or the environment in which a certain idea or trend is introduced is not right, there is a big likelihood of failing to attain the tipping point. An example of such a context is when a company decides to introduce a product in the market when there is a stiff competition of the same product in the market. The context or the environment may not favor the success, or the tipping point of such a product. Some of the products fade in the market because they fail to keep up with the changing environment in the market. For instance, several...