Idea for March 2022: complex contagion

My idea of the month is complex contagion

I know, the last thing we want to hear about is contagions. But I’ve been reading a book on Change, by a sociologist from the University of Pennsylvania, Damon Centola. He makes the useful distinction between simple contagions (a real virus, or a juicy bit of gossip) and complex ones (new ideas that demand a change of mind or behaviour). The former can travel just from one person to another. The latter - the kind that matters for social or organisational change - need multiple contacts with multiple people. In other words, I have to encounter several friends, and more than just once, for me to adopt their new belief or action. Common sense, but often forgotten - particularly when we place too much faith in ‘influencers’.

My image of the month is Google’s new London building

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick with BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), and known as KGX1, this huge ‘landscraper’ is 300 metres long. At the stage in construction, it looks uncannily like the Pompidou Centre, but you can see its final look here.