University of Rizal System

Angono Campus
College of Arts and Letters

Midterm Examination in
Contemporary World
NAME: Vince Carl V. Vale_________________________ SCORE: _________
Course/Year & Section: BFA VC 1_________________ Date: 23/03/2023

BOOK CHAPTER REVIEW

In the book "Tipping Point", with the topic "The Three Rules of Epidemics". by Malcolm Gladwell, points
out the social epidemics. And explains that the tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social
behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.

And this includes the three rules of epidemics that Malcolm Gladwell stated. "The Law of the Few", "The
Stickiness Factor", and the "Power of Context". Malcolm Gladwell explains why some ideas go viral while others do
not. With these three rules, it will help you spread your idea like a deadly epidemic. In The Law of the Few, Gladwell
identifies three types of individuals who seem to be involved in helping epidemics. The connectors, mavens, and
salespeople The connectors are the outgoing individuals; they seem to know everyone, and they can spread
information through their connections. The mavens are the ones who know everything; they are the ones who are
willing to find the information you need and the ones you can call for help in making decisions. In fact, connectors
often get their information to the mavens. And lastly, the salespeople. They are the ones who seem to know how
to sell, know how to advertise, and can manipulate the decisions of the client. They often use body language to
persuade their clients to buy their products. According to Gladwell, with the help of these individuals, your ideas
will spread like wildfire. But there’s more that you need to consider if you want to go viral. And that is the stickiness
of your ideas. People love the idea of something that sticks to their minds. If your idea sticks in the minds of
people, it will survive for a very long time. Let’s take, for example, that song you heard yesterday. It is the first time
that you heard that song, and you seem to like it. You listen to this song continuously until you realize that you
spend so much time listening to it. Sesame Street is the most popular educational program for kids on television.
Before airing on public television, the show's creators experimented with ways to make it more appealing to
viewers, particularly children who are just beginning to learn. According to the experiment conducted by the
creators of the show, they experimented with two kids watching the same show in different rooms, but the other
room had some toys on the ground while the other one did not. It shows that the children are selective about what
they are watching. The program was completely redesigned by the makers into what it is now, the first idea with
humans interacting with mythical animals. The initial approach of having puppets apart from humans in settings
failed to capture children's interest.. The power of context is an influential factor that can be easily ignored, but this
is one of the essential elements for your idea to spread. Timing and environment play an important role in the
adoption of an idea or product, too. Thinking of an idea that suits the context is the best way to spread your idea,
because making the right context will allow people to absorb your idea and be infected by this virus (your idea).
Gladwell believes that the influence of context was at work in New York in the early 1990s, when crime rates on the
subway dropped dramatically. During the time, prominent New Yorkers spearheaded large attempts to paint over
graffiti and maintain subway stations clean. They also strictly enforced laws against pollution, graffiti, and public
urination. After a few years, crime in New York had significantly decreased. Although not the sole cause of the
decrease, Gladwell points out that environmental improvements contributed to the tipping point that resulted in
much lower crime.

Ultimately, what Malcolm Gladwell is trying to convey is how an idea spreads like wildfire, reaching its
tipping point. The "Three Rules of Epidemics" are the key factors that you must follow if you want your idea to
reach the tipping point. By making connections with the few key people who have the high contribution needed to
start the epidemic, by thinking deeply about an idea that sticks in the person’s mind, and finally by thinking of the
right context for your idea, Your ideas will possibly spread and reach a tipping point too.

In my own opinion, I agree with Gladwell about his ideas on how to start a social epidemic because they
can be used in business. and also for me as an artist, I can also use this idea to spread my message or my artwork to
the people in the world and make them see my artwork and acknowledge my skill.
 It has similarities with us here in the Philippines in terms of "going viral,"because of the effects of social
media on us Filipinos. Some Pinoys are thinking of creating content that will make them go viral, even if it makes
them look miserable or annoying to people around them. They are eager to earn that thing called "sikat".

I have learned so much, and these learnings will probably help me achieve my goal of becoming a great
artist and being known around the world.

As an action to this I will remember all these ideas in my mind and use them for my own success in
becoming a great artist.

Rubrics:

E 50 - all ideas and facts are stated and explained clearly

VG 46-49 - most ideas and facts are stated but 1-2 points are missing

G 40-45 – some ideas and facts are stated but 3-4 points are missing

FG 35-39 - few ideas and facts are stated but 5-6 points are missing

Fair 30-34 - one or two ideas are stated but 7-8 points are missing

ND 25-29 - most ideas stated are out of context and needs to be developed

Prepared by: Noted:

_____________________ _______________________

MELVIC V. ATIENZA WAHINEE M. CRUZADA, MAEd

Instructor Dean, CAL