Rewriting the story: Malcolm Gladwell on stories, micro-targeting and the epidemics shaping our world

Epidemics, be they health or societal, are often started by a very, very small number of individuals. Gladwell points to the opioid epidemic in the U.S. While it's had a massive impact on hundreds and thousands across the U.S. (and beyond), the root of the crisis owes its thanks to Purdue Pharma, which relentlessly targeted just a small handful of doctors. By micro-targeting a handful of physicians willing to over-prescribe painkillers, Purdue engineered a national crisis.

We're often shaped by narratives in ways we aren't always aware of, and they tend to be more community and locally based than we realize. Gladwell uses the concept of "overstories," that is how the upper canopy of a forest shapes life below it, to explore how these stories — say Canada's pride in multicultralism and immigration — can shape entire nations. As we become increasingly digitized and decentralized in our community identities, it's worth considering which new "overstories" are shaping how we interact with the world.

The law of a few — that epidemics are shaped by just a few individuals, often with unique gifts — was one of Gladwell's most enduring concepts introduced in The Tipping Point. This time around, he introduces us to the idea of "the rule of thirds." You don't need a majority or even an even split to achieve critical mass, particularly with positive societal change. Instead, looking at the niche example of women in male-dominated fields, critical mass might simply be "too many to ignore."