The Essential Trio

“The answer is that the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of gifts.” (Pg.33)

This quote is taken from the book, The Tipping Point, where Malcolm Gladwell introduces the first reason as to why social epidemics and word of mouth spread. He introduces his theory called the “Law of the Few.” At first this theory seems surprisingly simple as it explains that social trends start with only a few number of people and grow from there, making sense of the name “Law of the Few.” As I read further, I realized that the law was much deeper; it meant that a trend begins with a few number of a certain kind of people. This certain group of people have a “rare set of gifts” and are known as connectors, mavens and salesmen. Each one of us has come in contact with one of these kinds of people at one time or another. Throughout the chapter, Gladwell explains what these three kinds of people do. Connectors are the people who link us with the world, introduce us to new social circles and have a special way of “bringing the world together.” (Pg.38) Connectors know a lot of people and therefore can spread an idea very quickly. Mavens are “information specialists” who link us to new information. (Pg.59) Mavens connect people to the marketplace and have a desire to help others. They like to educate people on the latest idea or how to get the most for their money. This also plays a key role in setting a trend. The last group of people Gladwell feels are crucial to starting a social epidemic are salesmen. Salesmen have the ability to persuade people when they are sceptical about an idea. The ability to persuade people is also important in the spreading of a social trend. Together, these three kinds of people have the power to make an idea or social epidemic “tip.”