# Change link:: [Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53369466-change) There's a saying: "be the change you wish to see in the world." It sounded magnificent at first, except things turn out to not be so simple. This book has helped me better understand why, and how to come to terms with it. In the age of social media, it's sort of a common wisdom that if you want some changes to happen, just make it go viral, get people's attention on the issue. When something goes viral, someone -- be it an individual or an institution -- is typically forced to react, and thus you have their attention. Many solve problems reactively this way, based on their virality, and slowly it turns into a culture. So what? It works, doesn't it? Well, it does... but only for a brief moment, or as Centola puts it, only for _simple contagions_. Like many things, what comes quickly often also leaves quickly. Once the media pivots to the next big thing, people often _forget_ about the issue, and so do the institutions, even though the root causes remain unsolved. A similar thing applies to businesses. Many companies believe their product can be successful by going viral. Some dump a lot of money into ads and marketing. Some create an invite-only or exclusivity feature to drive FOMO. Some with a pre-existing large user base _strongly encourage_ their users to try their new product. There are numerous tricks and playbooks. Yet, the problem is the same: it can only last so long. Once people realize they aren't getting much value from a product, they will move on. Centola highlights a critical problem with the viral metaphor: real change requires more than just spreading information; it necessitates changing people's beliefs and behaviors, which are far tougher to influence. It's about norms. And when it comes to norms, social network matters. Our network is like a prism that shapes how we see behaviors and interpret ideas. They can reinforce bias, stabilize the status quo, or champion new ideas that overturn the status quo, depending on how they are used. In the book, Centola discusses about the importance of the network periphery in driving social change. Even if there's often a lot of redundancy, that is what can turn an idea into a norm. Of course, there are nuances, like how we trust people differently or our perception of their relevance to a topic, but the main idea is there. It's probably not a coincidence that scammers often target people who appear to be less connected -- those at the network periphery. But this can also be seen from another angle: they are the ones who are more likely to take a risk early on, when things are far from perfect and unfamiliar to the masses. Given their position in the network, it also reduces the risk of non-adopters acting as _countervailing influences_ -- if you know people are aware of something but don't adopt it, it's a deterrent, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Reading through the various case studies discussed in this book, like Google+, Korea's birth control policy, Europe's political system, and more, is quite interesting. It seems like a well-known pattern, yet it's interesting how often similar mistakes get repeated over time. There are also many other interesting points discussed, such as how new products and ideas can threaten established beliefs and social norms, understanding community boundaries and binding groups, establishing relevance, and so on. It's hard to capture them all here without making this overly long. Overall, I think it's an enjoyable read. Of course, there's no one-size-fits-all solution to make change; after all, if it were that easy, we probably wouldn't see so many products and policies fail. But I think there's always some value in understanding what has and hasn't worked so we don't repeat the same mistakes.