Editing Ripple effect

{{Other uses|Ripple effect (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Disturbance that propagates through a system}}
[[File:Ripple effect.png|thumb|A diagram of the Ripple effect illustrating how the "[[Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations|Weinstein Scandal]]" led all the way to the rise of the [[Me Too movement]].]]
A '''ripple effect''' occurs when an initial disturbance to a system propagates outward to disturb an increasingly larger portion of the system, like [[capillary wave|ripple]]s expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it.

The ripple effect is often used colloquially to mean a [[multiplier (economics)|multiplier]] in [[macroeconomics]]. For example, an individual's reduction in spending reduces the incomes of others and their ability to spend.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-economic-ripple-effect-gone-awry/ The Economic Ripple Effect Gone Awry].</ref> In a broader global context, research has shown how monetary policy decisions, especially by major economies like the US, can create ripple effects impacting economies worldwide, emphasizing the interconnectedness of today's global economy. <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Lina |title=US Monetary Policy Spillovers and Spillbacks |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |year=2023 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.4370886}}</ref>

In [[sociology]], the ripple effect can be observed in how social interactions can affect situations not directly related to the initial interaction,<ref>Development sociology By Norman Long, [[Routledge]] {{ISBN|978-0-415-23536-5}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2013}} and in [[Charity (practice)|charitable activities]] where information can be disseminated and passed from the community to broaden its impact.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/sep/17/tefl3 Experience needed to make VSO's 'ripple effect' work] [[The Guardian]] 17 September 2004.</ref>

The concept has been applied in [[computer science]] within the field of [[software metrics]] as a [[Programming complexity|complexity measure]].<ref name="Black2001">{{cite journal|last=Black|first=Sue|year=2001|title=Computing ripple effect for software maintenance|journal=[[Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice]]|volume=13|issue=4|pages=263–279|issn=1532-060X|doi=10.1002/smr.233|author-link=Sue Black (computer scientist)}}</ref>

== Examples ==
=== The Weinstein effect and the rise of the Me Too movement ===
In October 2017, according to ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Weinstein#cite_note-Kantor-50|title=Harvey Weinstein}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2020}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html|title=Harvey Weinstein Paid off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades|newspaper=The New York Times|date=5 October 2017|last1=Kantor|first1=Jodi|last2=Twohey|first2=Megan}}</ref> and ''[[The New Yorker]]'',<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories|title=From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein's Accusers Tell Their Stories|magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=10 October 2017}}</ref> dozens of women have accused American film producer [[Harvey Weinstein]], former founder of [[Miramax Films]] and [[The Weinstein Company]], of [[rape]], [[sexual assault]] and [[sexual abuse]] for over a period of three decades. Shortly after over eighty accusations, Harvey was dismissed from his own company, expelled from the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] and other professional associations, and even retired from public view. The allegations against him resulted in a special case of '''ripple effect''', now called the [[Weinstein effect]]. This means a global trend involving a serial number of sexual misconduct allegations towards other famous men in Hollywood, such as [[Louis CK]] and [[Kevin Spacey]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/business/media/a-long-delayed-reckoning-of-the-cost-of-silence-on-abuse.html|title=A Long-Delayed Reckoning of the Cost of Silence on Abuse|newspaper=The New York Times|date=23 October 2017|last1=Rutenberg|first1=Jim}}</ref> The effect led to the formation of the controversial [[Me Too movement]], where people share their experiences of sexual harassment/assault.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvey-weinstein-effect-goes-global-powerful-men-confronted|title=Powerful men confronted as "Weinstein Effect" goes global|website=[[CBS News]] |date=14 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/news/men-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-harvey-weinstein-2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228001933/https://www.biography.com/news/men-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-harvey-weinstein-2017|archive-date=2017-12-28 |title=100 Powerful Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct in 2017 |first=Meredith |last=Worthen |date=2017-12-21 |website=[[Biography.com]]}}</ref>

===Corporate social responsibility===
The effects of one company's decision to adopt a [[corporate social responsibility]] (CSR) programme on the attitudes and behaviours of rival companies has been likened to a ripple effect. Research by an international team in 2018 found that in many cases, one company's CSR initiative was seen as a [[Competition|competitive threat]] to other businesses in the same market, resulting in the adoption of further CSR initiatives.<ref>Shuzhen, S., [https://research.smu.edu.sg/news/smuresearch/2018/sep/03/corporate-social-responsibility-programmes-have-ripple-effects-other-businesses Corporate social responsibility programmes have ripple effects on other businesses, study says], ''[[Singapore Management University]]'', published 3 September 2018, accessed 25 October 2023</ref>

==See also==
*[[Butterfly effect]]⁣ — an effect where a minimal change in one state of a system results in large differences in its later state.
*[[Clapotis]] — a non-breaking standing wave with higher amplitude than the waves it's composed of.
*[[Domino effect]] — an effect where one event sets off a chain of non-incremental other events.
*[[Snowball effect]] — an effect where a process starting from an initial state of small significance builds upon itself in time.

==References==
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[[Category:Metaphors referring to objects]]
[[Category:Causality]]
[[Category:Social phenomena]]
[[Category:Economics effects]]
[[Category:Software metrics]]