Contagious

Description

Why do some ideas spread while others disappear? Jonah Berger examines word-of-mouth through six principles: social currency, triggers, emotion, public visibility, practical value, and stories. Research on social transmission is paired with cases ranging from restaurants and anti-drug advertising to a blender video that reached an enormous audience. These examples distinguish contagious content from mere novelty and show how everyday conversation can move products, policies, rumors, emails, and videos through a population. Berger then translates the research into design questions readers can apply to messages, advertisements, and products of their own. The book treats widespread sharing as a patterned social behavior that can be studied and shaped, not simply as luck.

Themes