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Contagious

Why Things Catch on
Nov 15, 2015dgl4024 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The book is well written and delves into the detail of how and why things catch on. But while I believe that the author captures well the social dynamic of how things catch on, I found myself mostly at odds with this dynamic and way of being in the world. I did appreciate some of the conclusions Berger comes to and also believe that I may be operating unconsciously with some of the traits and motivations he describes. But as a whole, Berger's description of what motivates people and how they respond to products, messages and ideas doesn't capture much of who I am or want to be. Never the less, I found his discussion of the role of emotions in how a message gets passed on interesting. I had never before considered or contemplated the role that joy or sadness or anger play in the receptivity to a message and to the impetus they give to people passing on that message. But hearing Berger's explanation of the social research conducted so far, it makes sense to me based on my experience of the manner in which people are moved to respond to messages that evoke each of these feelings.