many authors and scholars addressed this issue. malcolm gladwell discuses the “law of the few” in his book, "the tipping point". he suggests that highly connected and rare people have the ability to shape the world. this handful of unique people can spread the word around and create a social epidemic through their connections, charm, personality, expertise and persuasiveness. the notion that a small group of people can influence others and cause them to adopt products, services or behaviors was the subject of another book, the influentials by edward keller and jonathan berry. this minority comprises a wide range of people who act as experts in their field and their opinions are highly regarded by their peers.