Event summary: Change - how to make big things happen
How can we harness the mechanisms of going viral to spread good habits and new ideas?
Presenting insights from his 2021 book ‘Change: How to make big things happen’, Prof. Damon Centola, a leading expert on social networks and behavior change from the University of Pennsylvania, says ‘no’:
Behavior change, we now understand, is not like a virus, spreading through casual contact. It does follow rules, but learning these rules takes us beyond the spread of diseases to reveal a process that is deeper, more mysterious - and much more interesting.D. Centola, book ‘Change’ (2021)
During this event on Social Tipping Points in Pakhuis De Zwijger Professor Centola discussed breakthroughs in the science of network diffusion, and how these have improved understanding of how changes in societal behaviour – in voting, health, technology, finance, vaccination, and political mobilisation – occur, and how our social connections play a powerful role in driving those changes.
Traditional thinking suggests that all it takes is a few “influencers” or “sticky” ideas to make something “go viral”. But this approach has often led to failed attempts at creating lasting change. Professor Centola presented new and more effective ways to enable social change efforts to trigger tipping points that create widespread acceptance for new ideas, habits and social norms.
Book reference
Centola, D. (2021). 'Change: How to make big things happen'. Hachette UK.