1. Sociology in Modules
Richard T. Schaefer

2. Collective Behavior
Collective behavior: “relatively spontaneous and unstructured behavior of a group of people who are reacting to a common influence in an ambiguous situation” (Smelser)

3. Theories of Collective Behavior
Emergent-Norm Perspective (Turner and Killian)
During an episode of collective behavior, a definition of what is considered appropriate behavior emerges from the crowd
New norm may arise in an ambiguous situation
Latitude for a wide range of acts within a general framework established by the emergent norm

4. Theories of Collective Behavior
Value-Added Perspective (Smelser)
Six determinants of collective behavior
Structural conduciveness
Structural strain
A generalized belief
A precipitating factor
Mobilization for action
Exercise of social control
Relates collective behavior to overall structure of society

5. Theories of Collective Behavior
Assembling Perspective (McPhail and Miller)
People and organizations consciously respond to one another’s actions
Periodic assemblies include recurring, relatively routine gatherings
Scheduled in advance
Nonperiodic assemblies: demonstrations, parades, gatherings at scenes of accidents
Result from word-of-mouth

6. Forms of Collective Behavior
Many forms of collective behavior
Fads and fashions
Crowds
Disaster behavior
Panics and crazes
Rumors
Public opinion
Social movements

7. Crowds
Crowd: a temporary gathering of people in close proximity who share a common focus or interest
Not totally lacking in structure
New meaning in Internet age
Crowdsourcing
Flash mob: a group of people organized by social media to assemble suddenly in a public space, perform some collective activity, and then quickly disperse

8. Disaster Behavior
Disaster: a sudden or disruptive event or set of events that overtaxes a community’s resources, so that outside aid is necessary
Disaster Research
Field studies of natural and technological disasters

9. Disaster Behavior
Case Studies: Collapse of the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina
September 11, 2001: within hours an incident command post and emergency operations center established
Hurricane Katrina: lack of coordination stymied government authorities; centralization of decision making took days instead of hours

10. Fads and Fashions
Fads: temporary patterns of behavior involving large numbers of people
Generally short-lived, viewed with amusement
Fashions: pleasurable mass involvements that feature a certain amount of acceptance by society and have little historical continuity
Wider implications, can reflect wealth and status

11. Panics and Crazes
Craze: an exciting mass involvement that lasts for a relatively long period
Panic: a fearful arousal or collective fight based on a generalized belief that may or may not be accurate
Belief that there is insufficient time or means to avoid injury
Panics are flights from something; crazes are movements toward something

12. Rumors
Rumor: a piece of information gathered informally that is used to interpret an ambiguous situation
Provide a group with a shared belief
Can serve as a means of adapting to change

13. Public and Public Opinions
Public: a dispersed group of people, not necessarily in contact with one another, who share an interest in an issue
Public opinion: expression or attitudes on matters of public policy that are communicated to decision makers
Must have both public and a decision maker
Polls and surveys play major role

14. Social Movements
Social movement: organized collective activity to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society (Benford)
Social movements have had dramatic impact on course of history and evolution of social structure
Functionalists: social movements contribute to formation of public opinion
Increasingly taking on international dimension 14

15. The Emergence of Social Movements
Relative Deprivation Approach
Relative deprivation: conscious feeling of negative discrepancy between legitimate expectations and present actualities
Before discontent is channeled into a social movement, people must feel they:
Have a right to their goals
Perceive they cannot attain goals through conventional means 15

16. The Emergence of Social Movements
Resource Mobilization Approach
Resource mobilization: ways a social movement utilizes such resources as money, political influence, access to the media, and workers
Leadership a central factor
Often mobilized by institutional insiders
Marx: leaders would need to help workers overcome false consciousness—attitudes that do not reflect workers’ objective position 16

17. Gender and Social Movements
Women find it more difficult than men to assume leadership positions in social movement organizations
Gender can affect the way we view organized efforts to bring about or resist change 17

18. New Social Movements
New social movement: organized collective activity that addresses values and social identities, as well as improvements in quality of life
New social movements generally do not view government as their ally
Members of new social movements show little inclination to accept established authority
Environmental movement has global focus 18

19. Table 58-1: Contributions to Social Movement Theory19

20. Communications and the Globalization of Social Movements
Global text-messaging and the Internet allow activists to reach people
TV and the Internet often convey false sense of intimacy and immediacy
More social movements being mounted on the Web
Computer-mediated communication (CMC): communicative interaction through two or more networked devices

21. Social Change Theories of Social Change
Evolutionary
Functionalist
Conflict
Social change can occur so slowly, almost undetectable; but can also happen rapidly
Modern world’s diversity and complexity make explanation difficult

22. Table 59-1: The United States: A Changing Nation22

23. Evolutionary Theory
Evolutionary theory views society as moving in a definite direction
Comte: human societies moving forward in their thinking, from mythology to scientific method
Durkheim: society progresses from simple to more complex social organization

24. Functionalist Perspective
Equilibrium model: as changes occur in one part of society, adjustments must be made in other parts
Parsons: four processes of social change
Differentiation
Adaptive upgrading
Inclusion
Value generalization

25. Conflict Perspective
Change needed to correct social injustices and inequalities
Marxist view of social change appeals because it does not restrict people to passive roles
Dahrendorf: functionalist and conflict approaches compatible

26. Table 59-2: Sociological Perspectives on Social Change26

27. Resistance to Social Change
Resistance may be due to:
Economic factors
Cultural factors
Reluctance to use or fear of technology
Vested interests: people who will suffer in the event of social change (Veblen)

28. Economic and Cultural Factors
Companies may resist social change by cutting corners or lobbying for eased regulations
NIMBY: “not in my backyard”
On world stage, “not on planet Earth”
Culture lag: period of maladjustment when nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions

29. Resistance to Technology
Technology: cultural information about ways in which material resources of environment may be used to satisfy human needs and desires
Luddites: resisted Industrial Revolution; some raided factories, destroyed machinery
Some people resist postindustrial expansion of industrialization

30. Global Social Change Recent past a dramatic time in history
Collapse of communism
Terrorism in various parts of world
Major regime changes and severe economic disruptions
Spread of AIDS
Computer revolution
Cloning

31. Anticipating Change
In era of global change, is change possible to predict?
Collins: Soviet expansionism resulted in an overextension of resources in 1980
Hallinan: need to move beyond restrictive models of social change
Sociologists must learn to predict upheavals and major chaotic shifts

32. Social Change in Dubai
Went from pearl-fishing village to tax-free information-technology hub
Constitutional monarchy, but relatively progressive for Arab state
Environmentally, cost of lavish lifestyle exorbitant
Poor treatment of immigrant laborers
2008 economic downturn difficult for Dubai, but economy back on the move by 2010

33. Technology and the Future
Technological advances have brought striking changes to cultures, patterns of socialization, social institutions, and day-to-day social interactions

34. Computer Technology
Effects of computers noteworthy with regard to Internet
In 2012, Internet reached 2.3 billion users
Anyone can reach Internet with a phone line, a computer, and a modem, but not everyone can get onto information highway
Core nations have near-monopoly on information technology
Effect on people’s jobs

35. Table 60-1: Jobs Projected to be Eliminated by Computerization

36. Privacy and Censorship in a Global Village
Complex issues of privacy and censorship can be considered examples of culture lag
Functionalists take generally positive view of Internet
Conflict theorists stress most powerful groups will use technology to violate privacy of less powerful
People seem to be less vigilant today about maintaining privacy than they were before information age

37. Biotechnology and the Gene Pool
Sex selection of fetuses, genetically engineered organisms, and cloning of sheep, cows, and other animals are among significant advances
Biotechnological advances have raised many difficult ethical and political questions
Altering the gene pool
Genetically Modified (GM) food
Notable success in treatment of traumatic injuries

38. Social Policy and Globalization: Transnationals
Millions of migrant laborers play roles in global economy
Fill jobs where shortages exist in labor market
Do not become wealthy, but consider themselves better off than they were in their native country
Citizens of host countries often react negatively

39. Social Policy and Globalization: Transnationals
Looking at the Issue
2013: 232 million international migrants
3% of world’s population
Globalization changed immigrant experience and labor market
Transnationals: immigrants who sustain multiple social relationships that link their societies of origin with the societies of settlement

40. Social Policy and Globalization: Transnationals
Applying Sociology
Functionalists: free flow of immigrants is way for economies to maximize human labor
Conflict theorists: globalization increases economic gulf between developed and developing countries
Interactionists: interested in the day-to-day relationships transnationals have with people around them

41. Social Policy and Globalization: Transnationals
Initiating Policy
Transnationals face continuing adjustment problems in their new home countries
Often encounter difficult living and working conditions
Voter eligibility remains unresolved
Public attitudes and government policies have not kept pace
General public’s attitude toward illegal immigrants remains hostile, especially in U.S.

42. Figure 60-1: Labor Migration
Source: National Geographic 2005:16. 42

43. Sociology in the Global Community
58-1: Women’s Social Movements in South Korea and India
What do you think might explain the differences between women’s social movements and issues in South Korea and in India?
What would happen if “powerless” people in the United States formed a social movement of their own? Would it succeed? Why or why not? 43

44. Our Wired World
58-2: Organizing for Controversy via Computer-Mediated Communication
Have you ever been involved in a social or political movement whose legitimacy some people considered questionable? If so, what was the movement, and what were the objections to it? Did you consider the objections to be legitimate?
Can any social movement be free from controversy? Would you want to live in a society in which controversy is not tolerated? 44

45. Our Wired World 60-1: The Internet’s Global Profile
Of the three figures shown on the following slides, which do you think presents the most sociologically significant statistics? Explain.
Why do you think the use of Chinese on the Internet has increased so dramatically in just a decade? What kind of information would you expect to find in Chinese? Who would use it? 45

46. Internet Users and Internet Penetration by World Region
Source: All data taken from Internet World Stats 2014 as of June 30. 46

47. Internet’s Top 10 Languages
Source: All data taken from Internet World Stats 2014 as of May 31, 2011. 47