Centola, Damon Change: How to Make Big Things Happen (0316457337)

Most of what we know about how ideas spread comes from bestselling authors who give us a compelling picture of a world, in which 'influencers' are king, 'sticky' ideas 'go viral,' and good behavior is 'nudged' forward. The problem is that the world they describe is a world where information spreads, but beliefs and behaviors stay the same.

When it comes to lasting change in what we think or the way we live, the dynamics are different: beliefs and behaviors are not transmitted from person to person in the simple way that a virus is. The real story of social change is more complex. When we are exposed to a new idea, our social networks guide our responses in striking and surprising ways.

Drawing on deep-yet-accessible research and fascinating examples from the spread of coronavirus to the success of the Black Lives Matter movement, the failure of Google+, and the rise of political polarization, Change presents groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting new science for understanding what drives change, and how we can change the world around us.