The theory of broken windows was elaborated by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, and it sounds like this:
“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.
Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.”
Furthermore, this theory suggests that as trash and degradation accumulates, it makes people who live in that area to feel more vulnerable. Sensing that, teens become bolder and increasingly harass other people, as they perceive this space as less risky for crime, because they don’t feel that somebody cares to maintain the order. So, it looks like one broken window can lead to crime and degradation, but which is the point when things start to accelerate, the so-called point of no return, beyond which, the growth rate becomes exponential?
Starting from this theory, in year 2000, Malcom Gladwell wrote the book “The Tipping Point, how little things can make a big difference”.
It is amazing to see how the author explains the word of mouth phenomenon by defining and profiling three special psychological types, called by him Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. The book explains with examples, how these three types, in conjunction can spread news, or a fashion, or a belief so effectively that when it reaches this ”tipping point” it then grows exponentially, it explodes like an epidemic.
Briefly, the Connectors are people who have a large number of acquaintances, Mavens are the experts that know what is all about and who want to talk about that and Salesman are people able to persuade us to buy into something. The applications of this theory can have huge social implications. The author imagines how this can be put in practice into a strategy to stop spreading smoking and explains why actual measures and campaign are useless.


Another interesting theory tackled in the book is the one of the magic number 150. According to this, 150 is the maximum number of individuals we can have authentic social report with. It applies also to big companies: if the employees are organized in departments of maximum 150 people they are more efficient. It seems that after this figure, connections are too many and too hard to maintain in order to establish effective communication within the group. Looking back in time, Gladwell finds out more examples to support this theory, even though it could not be explained.
As a conclusion, Gladwell sketches the possibility that we start our own epidemics by identifying the Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen in people around us; he speaks about the hope we can find in the world of tipping points, the hope that even the smallest change for the better can become the trigger for a whole new better life.
This book influenced me very much and I warmly recommend it to anybody who is curious about sociology, about the power of words or about revolutions.
I am currently working to start an epidemics of my own: as I have recently set up my own company, for this year I have the challenge of finding and properly using my network of Connectors and Mavens, looking forward to the moment when the tipping point will enter in action and preparing for that day.
You can take also a closer example: look at the blogging phenomenon. I read somewhere that 70,000 new blogs appear everyday. Isn’t this epidemics already? Go back in time and see if you can discover its tipping point. Can you?
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