Maribel Mejia
Essay #5 R2
4/23/08
Eng 099
Attractions
Have you ever wondered why certain things may attract your attention while
others just seem to bore you? Gladwell explains this theme in the book The Tipping
Point. Gladwell’s book is a best seller in the New York Times, for 183 weeks. In The
Tipping Point he discusses different topics about trends and attractions. One topic he
discusses is “The Stickiness Factor,” which, I will be discussing. In the Stickiness
Factor,” Gladwell shares with us reasons some advertisements catch the attention of
potential viewers, while others just seem to bore them.
When audiences are able to get involved in the activity or show being presented,
many of them may want to participate. An example of the audience getting involved is
the golden box. The golden box was the kind of advertisement that gave viewers a reason
to look for the ads on TV Guides and parade. The golden box helped create a connection
between the Columbia message, viewers saw on TV and the ones read in magazines.
Viewers could be an audience, however, became participants as well. The golden box
was first created in 1978. Gladwell shows us how audiences get much more attracted to
an ad or show when they are able to participant.
Ads which do not allow their audience to interact do not get much of a response
from them. It is also easier to remember something when you have a visual of it or are
able to participate. When reading it is more difficult to understand the concepts of the
situation than when visualizing the situation. In The Tipping Point, Gladwell provides us
with an example of what “Blues Clues” did in order to teach the audience something to
remember. Blues Clues is an educational children’s show, which allows them to
participate in solving problems. This program seemed to be more effective then Sesame
Street because of the amount of participation the viewer was involved in. What attracts
young viewers is the feeling that they are participating or have a say in the actions that
are occurring. When children feel that they have an act of role, they feel that they have
become apart of the shows and are compelled to watch it! Children prefer interacting then
feeling like a passive viewer.
Emily, whom Gladwell uses as an example of “The Stickiness Factor” in his
book, is a child who talks while she sleeps. Her vocabulary is proven to be further
extended then when she speaks with her parents. Katherine Nelson of Harvard University
found that Emily’s conversation with herself was more advances because of the learning
picture of language acquisition. Children tend to learn quicker when they can remember
an image. Emily was a Blues Clues viewer and because she participated she was able to
remember many of the works; helping her expand her vocabulary.
To sum it all up, “The Stickiness Factor” is the theory that interactions with TV
shows attract viewers; while helping them learn at a faster paste, as opposed to just
watching the TV shows where there is no reinforcement. The shows would not stick as
effectively. Many of us viewers have been apart of “The Stickiness Factor” and have
found learning easier if we are able to participate. Are you one of those people who in the
past have learned according to “The Stickiness Factor?”