The Scooter’s Trend and the Tipping Point, Essay Example

Trends are part and parcel of human life and exist with the increase in the number of inventions made by human beings. While trends are part of human life, each trend is unique with its own set of variables that have propelled it to such status. While trends are usually phenomena that take off and spread on their own, one can trace the occurrence of the trend to a number of factors. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book “The Tipping Point” elucidates on three specific factors that characterize trends. Malcom Gladwell’s concepts of the law of the few and the power of context can be applied to the trend of driving electric scooter; however, his analysis does not take in to the account the role of technology in the proliferation of my trend.

The Law of the Few

The scooter was initially introduced as a cheaper and faster way to commute within urban settings. The expansive use of the scooter can be attributed to a number of factors influenced by the law of the few. According to Gladwell holds that “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts”. The three main groups of people include; (1) connectors, (2) mavens and (3) salesmen (Gladwell). These three groups are also responsible for the widespread use of the scooter within urban settings. Connectors are individuals with a large network of acquaintances as well as friends. Such individuals are responsible for the initial spread of a given idea or concept. The popularity of the scooter within urban settings was considerably propelled by the first users with large social networks. This is because they would expose this idea to as many individuals as possible within their network.

This was also propelled by information specialists called mavens. This group of users or non-users are well-informed and have all the statistical and factual data on the making, operation, maintenance, use, benefits and drawbacks of using a scooter. Mavens are responsible for keeping the different elements on the market well informed through their knowledge, communication and social skills. As Gladwell state, Mavens aim to solve other peoples’ problems by first solving their own and passing the information to the next person. Mavens include bloggers and the product critics.one of the main sources of information in the 21^st century is the internet. Bloggers and product critics play an important role in proposing or shutting down a trend. The scooter received considerable attention from these individuals, enhancing the spread of its trend. On the other hand, salesmen complete the final social group responsible for trends, the salesmen. This group essentially convinces other individuals to take on a new idea or concept. Within urban settings, this group of individuals has been found to be most responsible for the eventual adoption of a new idea. Salespeople are capable of convincing one to use a product and/or service with considerable success. The scooter was considerably marketed through telemarketing. All the big chain stores such as Walmart and Costco spent considerable amoounts of their revenue in marketing the scooter. The increasing use of the scooter can be traced by heavy marketing by sales people.

The Stickiness Factor

The ability of a concept or idea to become a trend largely depends on its ability to cause an impact on the user(s) over extended period of time. While an idea may be appealing to most people, the use of the idea will largely depend on its ability to become memorable to the user; i.e. leaving a lasting impact that the user would consider repetitive use of the idea. The popularity and widespread use of the scooter can be attributed to the ability of the act of riding a scooter to leave a unique sensation on its user (Gladwell). Many individuals enjoy scooters as a result of the feeling it leaves them with. While others use it for the pure feeling of freedom, others do it for the rejuvenating feeling they obtain as opposed to fatigue of walking or commuting with other means.

The Power of Context

An idea is also useful within a given context. As such, trends can only hold up within a given context. This is fundamentally the circumstances and conditions that led to the inception, use and spread of the idea. The popularity of the scooter depicts this element by virtue of the location of its use. Scooter are mainly used in urban settings where a number of issue promote their use (McCord). Urban settings are characterized by traffic jams and congested roads. Scooters became popular as individuals sought an easier solution to the problem of going through traffic during rush hours. An individual with a scooter has the ability to weave their way through traffic, considerably reducing travel time. The cost of fuel is also another factor that popularized the scooter. With global oil prices fluctuating from year to year, scooters offer commuter a much cheaper alternative.

While Gladwell’s concepts embodied in the Tipping Point can partially explain the emergence of the scooter as popular means of transport in urban areas, it does not adequately extrapolate the factors that propel the idea. This theory fails to consider the role that technology has to play in developing such trends. The development of the scooter a trend is considerably attributed to the state of technology, i.e. the ability for people to communicate through social media. Networking through social media has allowed the scooter’s use to become viral as a result of global communication between users and non-users.

In conclusion, Malcolm Gladwell postulates that the occurrence of social epidemic is founded on three factors; the law the few, the stickiness factor and the power of context, all depicted by the trend of the scooter in urban settings. The popularity of the scooter depicts all three elements as described by Gladwell. However, Gladwell’ theory fails to take into account the concept of technology in developing social epidemics.

Works Cited

Gladwell, Michael. The tipping point: how little things can make a big difference. Boston: Little Brown, 200. Print.

McCord, Michael. Scooters and electric bikes gain popularity. 22 April 2014. Intenet Source. 28 November 2015. <http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20140422/NEWS/404220317>.