{"id":2161,"date":"2010-09-29T12:31:55","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T07:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/calamur.org\/gargi\/?p=2161"},"modified":"2010-09-29T12:31:55","modified_gmt":"2010-09-29T07:31:55","slug":"thoughts-on-gladwells-small-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calamur.org\/gargi\/2010\/09\/29\/thoughts-on-gladwells-small-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on Gladwell’s Small Change Why The Revolution Will Not be Tweeted."},"content":{"rendered":"

A long time ago, in a life time far away, i read Malcolm Gladwell’s<\/a><\/strong> “The Tipping Point<\/a><\/strong>” and remember being impressed with the insight on what causes mass behavioral change.
\nI was so impressed that when Blink<\/a><\/strong> came out i bought a hardcover edition – and was surprised at how mundane it was.<\/p>\n

With Outliers I was seriously underwhelmed – as much with the methodology as the stating of the obvious that my review<\/a><\/strong> for that was:<\/p>\n

Take some data. it could be any data. Add a bit of correlation, stir in a bit of causality, simmer with coincidence and garnish with a leap of faith \u2013 package well with a chatty narrative style -and bingo \u2013 you have Outliers<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Seriously, you work hard – really hard – and you will succeed is the kind of stuff all of us have grown up hearing from our parents, when we were at school. Practise your algebra, practise your classical music …. my grandmother used to say “pada pada raagam, muda muda rogam” (which translates as the more you practise, the more you will be in tune – the less you do the more it will sound like a sick person groaning _<\/p>\n

I have been following his columns<\/a><\/strong> in the New Yorker<\/a><\/strong> – he is, as always an entertaining read. There was nothing in the columns so far that would prompt me to react. But, that changed with the latest one where he talks about small change and why the revolution will not be tweeted<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

My issue is not with his conclusion or his view – he has the right to hold both – or indeed my belief that the revolution will be tweeted – i don’t believe that there will be a revolution and if there was, it won’t be tweeted – but will be a consequence of people gathering and being involved. however, I do believe that in a decade or so you will end up with large numbers of people gathering – based on their common interest – to facilitate change, and they will get there because they heard about it on one social network or the other. \u00a0There is a good reason why the Government of India has banned bulk SMS’s<\/a><\/strong> in the run up to the Ayodhya verdict – it is aware that this social media can get like minded people to gather to create trouble.<\/p>\n

My issue – as in the case of Outliers – his methodology. Gladwell uses the example of the Greensboro sit in, and the subsequent impact on civil rights – and says it was achieved because of strong social ties between the men involved – and says that social media will not be able to achieve it because people have weak or non existent social ties<\/p>\n

History is not a snapshot – it is series of events that all impact each other. When you look at the Civil Rights Movement – you can’t look at it in isolation without looking at other aspects :<\/p>\n