1. Social Movements and Social Change in the Global Community
Chapter 18

2. Collective Behavior
Collective behavior is relatively spontaneous and unstructured behavior of a group of people who are reacting to a common influence in an ambiguous situation.
Conditions for Collective Behavior
structural factors that increase the chances of people responding in a particular way
timing
a breakdown in social control mechanisms and a corresponding feeling of normlessness (anomie)

3. Theoretical Perspectives on Collective Behavior
Convergence Theory
This theory focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs many people bring to crowd behavior.
From this perspective, people with similar attributes find a collectivity of like‑minded persons with whom they can release their underlying personal tendencies.
Although people may reveal their "true selves" in crowds, their behavior is not irrational. It is highly predictable to those who share similar emotions or beliefs.
Emergent Norm Theory
According to Turner and Killian's emergent norm theory, crowds develop their own definition of the situation and establish norms for behavior that fit the occasion.
For Turner and Killian, the process begins when individuals suddenly find themselves in a new situation, or when an existing situation suddenly becomes strange or unfamiliar.
Hurricane Katrina
In these extraordinary circumstances, what outsiders saw as “looting” was defined by those involved as seeking needed supplies for survival.

4. Theoretical Perspectives on Collective Behavior
Neil Smelser’s categorization of crowd behavior, called value-added theory, is a perspective within the functionalist tradition based on the idea that several conditions must be in place for collective behavior to occur.
Each condition adds to the likelihood that collective behavior will occur.
The first condition is structural conduciveness, which occurs when people are aware of the problem and have the opportunity to gather, ideally in an open area.
Structural strain, the second condition, refers to people’s expectations about the situation at hand being unmet, causing tension and strain.
The next condition is the growth and spread of a generalized belief, wherein a problem is clearly identified and attributed to a person or group.
Fourth, precipitating factors spur collective behavior; this is the emergence of a dramatic event.
The fifth condition is mobilization for action, when leaders emerge to direct a crowd to action.
The final condition relates to action by the agents. Called social control, it is the only way to end the collective behavior episode (Smelser 1962).

5. Theoretical Perspectives on 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
Fads and fashions
Crowds
Disaster behavior
Panics and crazes
Rumors
Public opinion
Social movements

7. Distinctions Regarding Collective Behavior
A crowd is a relatively large number of people who are in one another’s immediate vicinity.
Temporary, but not 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
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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Social Movements
Social movement: organized collective activity to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society
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. Theoretical Perspectives on 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
Resource Mobilization Theory
focuses on the ability of a social movement to acquire resources (money, time and skills, access to the media, etc.) and mobilize people to advance the cause.
Civil Rights Movement

15. 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

16. 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

17. Social Change
Social change is the alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time.
Social change can occur so slowly, almost undetectable; but can also happen rapidly
Modern world’s diversity and complexity make explanation difficult
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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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)

21. Economic and Cultural Factors on Social Change
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

22. 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

23. 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