The spark of a movement - A study of an online collective acts potentiality to grow into a social movement
(2021) SOCM04 20211Department of Sociology
Sociology
- Abstract
- Social movements have become an integrated component in our western society with almost every contested issue having a social movement associated to it, on at least one side of the debate. When we think of social movements in practice, we might picture rallies and marches, chants, and demonstrations but with the emergence of social media more and more activists and movement adherents have moved to the online forums and are utilizing social medias features to quickly spread their messages and to easier mobilize. Because of its ability to attract and engage large number of people, online activisms generate a lot of attention from the media. When Sarah Everard was murder on her way home from a friend, people took to social media to express... (More)
- Social movements have become an integrated component in our western society with almost every contested issue having a social movement associated to it, on at least one side of the debate. When we think of social movements in practice, we might picture rallies and marches, chants, and demonstrations but with the emergence of social media more and more activists and movement adherents have moved to the online forums and are utilizing social medias features to quickly spread their messages and to easier mobilize. Because of its ability to attract and engage large number of people, online activisms generate a lot of attention from the media. When Sarah Everard was murder on her way home from a friend, people took to social media to express their grievances. This grew to a scale where media called the online activities a movement. But is it a movement? Using the extensive literature on social movements as a yardstick, focusing on what is considered criteria for a social movement, this study looked at the twitter content following Sarah Everards death along with some of the events that followed to see if there is something that implies that this can grow into a social movement. Results showed that key factors like collective action and collective identity are visible in the data, but it is only in limited form and in its initial stages. There is also potential for a coalition to form but there is no evidence for the initiative for one. In the end, two major factors were missing for there to be a definite movement formation: longevity and organisation, although data suggest potential for it as well. Although the data showed potential for growth, his study was done to close after the main event for the factors to solidify. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- When we as citizens want to see change in our society we come together and present claims and demands to the powerholders. This can be in the form of a march, protest or petition signing. When a collective is passionate about a cause they set out to gather supporters, mobilize them and over time show the powerholders in different ways and through different collective acts, and usually under a collective name or symbol that they want to see change. In simple terms, this is how a social movement is formed. It requires planning and a level of organisation for a movement to progress and to establish. Ever since social media became a major part of how we manage our social life it was only natural for activists and movement supporters to take... (More)
- When we as citizens want to see change in our society we come together and present claims and demands to the powerholders. This can be in the form of a march, protest or petition signing. When a collective is passionate about a cause they set out to gather supporters, mobilize them and over time show the powerholders in different ways and through different collective acts, and usually under a collective name or symbol that they want to see change. In simple terms, this is how a social movement is formed. It requires planning and a level of organisation for a movement to progress and to establish. Ever since social media became a major part of how we manage our social life it was only natural for activists and movement supporters to take advantage of the different platforms functions to reach out and spread their message much faster. Now a call for mobilization or a call for attention to an issue can reach millions of people with just a click and it makes it almost effortless for people to show support while still making an impact. Movements like #Metoo and Black Lives Matter are prime examples of this.
With the growth of social media use, the efforts for collective action and mobilization have never been easier and it has thereby fast-tracked some of the factors that go into establishing a social movement. This study will investigate whether an online collective act and the events coming from it can grow into a social movement. In this case the focus is on the online activities that followed the disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard, that took place in the beginning of March of 2021. By using the current literature on social movements, which is all based on offline, real-life movements, I wanted to see how the online events fit in with the traditional social movement criteria. This study started only a month after the event happened that set of the online movement so the lack of longevity was an issue from the start. However, the results showed that a lot of the elements needed to establish a social movement are there. It just requires someone to take the reins and start organising. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9065266
- author
- Yusuf, Maryan LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOCM04 20211
- year
- 2021
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Sarah Everard, social movement, online, collective action, collective identity, organisation
- language
- English
- id
- 9065266
- date added to LUP
- 2021-09-14 08:35:14
- date last changed
- 2021-09-14 08:35:14
@misc{9065266,
abstract = {{Social movements have become an integrated component in our western society with almost every contested issue having a social movement associated to it, on at least one side of the debate. When we think of social movements in practice, we might picture rallies and marches, chants, and demonstrations but with the emergence of social media more and more activists and movement adherents have moved to the online forums and are utilizing social medias features to quickly spread their messages and to easier mobilize. Because of its ability to attract and engage large number of people, online activisms generate a lot of attention from the media. When Sarah Everard was murder on her way home from a friend, people took to social media to express their grievances. This grew to a scale where media called the online activities a movement. But is it a movement? Using the extensive literature on social movements as a yardstick, focusing on what is considered criteria for a social movement, this study looked at the twitter content following Sarah Everards death along with some of the events that followed to see if there is something that implies that this can grow into a social movement. Results showed that key factors like collective action and collective identity are visible in the data, but it is only in limited form and in its initial stages. There is also potential for a coalition to form but there is no evidence for the initiative for one. In the end, two major factors were missing for there to be a definite movement formation: longevity and organisation, although data suggest potential for it as well. Although the data showed potential for growth, his study was done to close after the main event for the factors to solidify.}},
author = {{Yusuf, Maryan}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The spark of a movement - A study of an online collective acts potentiality to grow into a social movement}},
year = {{2021}},
}