Q: Who are the two people in Malcom Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point’ who were sent to communicate to people about an impending attack?
(Courtesy: Gemini Google)In the context of Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, the two people you are remembering are Paul Revere and William Dawes.
Gladwell uses their story in the chapter “The Law of the Few” to explain how information spreads. Both men famously rode through the night in April 1775 to warn the American colonies about the impending British invasion (the “British are coming”), but they had very different results:
The Two Riders
* Paul Revere (The Success): Revere was what Gladwell calls a “Connector” and a “Maven.” Because he was incredibly well-connected and knew exactly who the “important” people in each town were, his message “tipped.” People believed him, panicked, and spread the word instantly.
* William Dawes (The Failure): Dawes went on the exact same mission at the same time but in a different direction. However, because he wasn’t a “Connector,” the people he told didn’t pass the message on with the same urgency. The towns he visited remained quiet and unprepared.
With the absence of social media(Facebook and twitter) for promotion, this article and others look like a message by William Dawes.