1) Essay 2: basic requirements and writing topics
PLEASE READ ATTACHMENT AND REVISE DOCS
2) How to organize this compare/contrast essay
3) Review of assigned readings (chapters 3- 8)
Apply reading concepts to writing: In Essay 2, you will use a few (~4) key analytic concepts from Twitter and Tear Gas, such as signaling capacity, to discuss key characteristics of networked social movements. What are analytic concepts from the assigned chapters that you can potentially use in your essay? (do not select so many)
1. public sphere and imagined communities
2. social institution: traditional mass media
3. digital technology impact -> public sphere and information
4. strong & weak ties
5. citizen journalism (or, documentation by citizens)
6. collective knowledge
7. norms of traditional journalism vs internet/social media
8. gatekeepers, hierarchies, curators
9. horizontalism
10. mass media censorship
11. attention
12. movements infrastructure
13. adhocracy
14. organization, logistics
15. network internalities
16. tactical freeze
17. narrative capacity
18. disruptive capacity
19. electoral or institutional capacity
This table is how you can start organizing information (select several from above list) for essay:
Old social movement
(Civil Rights movement) Modern networked movement. (your choice from task list)
Similarities (compare) Insert your choice of analytic concept
(e.g., weak ties)
Insert your choice of analytic concept
(e.g., weak ties)
Differences (contrast) Insert your choice of analytic concept (e.g., gatekeepers/hierarchies)
Insert your choice of analytic concept (e.g., open/horizontal)
How to convert above organizing table into essay outline form? Lets take a look at the form again.
Point by point structure* means each body paragraph is organized by a main point about the old or new social movement, using one analytic concept as an anchor.
Block structure means each essay section is organized by the old or new social movement. Heres a visual:
BLOCK POINT-BY-POINT
Introduction Introduction
Civil Rights Movement- Point 1 Point 1: Civil Rights & Modern Movement
Civil Rights Movement- Point 2
Civil Rights Movement- Point 3 Point 2: Civil Rights & Modern Movement
Modern Movement- Point 1 Point 3: Civil Rights & Modern Movement
Modern Movement- Point 2
Modern Movement- Point 3 Point 4: Civil Rights & Modern Movement
Conclusion Conclusion
For the block structure, all of the information about one movementthe American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-60s or a modern networked movementis given first, and all of the information about the other movement is given afterwards. The right-hand diagram represents a different organization of information: each similarity (or difference) for one movement is followed immediately by the similarity (or difference) for the other.
Example: Point 1 can be about how social movements obtain participants and attention. The first body paragraph would focus on the similarities between the American Civil Rights Movement and a modern movement of your choice, in this area (participation and attention). The second body paragraph could focus on the differences between the two movements on this point. (Or you can combine similarities and differences about point 1 in one paragraph.)
Example 2: Point 2 can be about how the old and modern movement compare & contrast around the point of leadership. The second body paragraph would focus on the hierarchical leadership structure of the American Civil Rights Movement, and contrast it with the open or horizontal structure of a modern movement.
*I strongly suggest you use the point-by-point organizational structure.
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FirstName LastName
Instructor’s Name
Course Title
31 May 2020
Compare And Contrast
Essay Outline
Topic: The essay investigates disparities and similarities between traditional and modern networked protests. Thus, the topic of the essay will be networked social movements.
The first paragraphs topic sentence: The social movements in consideration include the American Civil Rights and Bernie Sanders Protests. In this case, I have stated the traditional protests in the discussion. Thus, I intend to analyze several events characterizing the movement in the subsequent paragraph.
The second paragraphs topic sentence: The movement was strategically implemented after the successful mobilization of people in support of equality. In this paragraph, I will state the impact of the movement in enhancing civil rights equality.
The third paragraphs topic sentence: The second movement in consideration represents networked action of course. In this case, I will explore on the Bernie Sanders movement, its strategy and objectives.
Mainly, I will compare the aforementioned movements, state their characteristics, and similarities. Also, I will establish on the analogy that social networked movements are more effective despite their vulnerabilities.
Networked Social Movements
The growth of social media has sparked several changes in the 21st protests. This has facilitated the dynamics and patterns of the network society in its institutional and cultural diversity. The indispensable role of electronic communication networks has altered the business arena, daily life, politics, social interaction and public services. This indicates that the network society has transformed industrial society to the information age. Thus, traditional ways of protesting have also changed to integrate social media platforms. Fueled by flexibility, adaptability, and greater speed, decentralized network forms have outdone traditional hierarchies. The trend has become apparent in the area of collective action. The disparities and similarities between networked protests and older social movements cannot be overlooked. In essence, technological advancements have facilitated the changes in modern protests as many have dispensed the analogy of street strikes and embraced social media protests.
The social movements in consideration include the American Civil Rights and Bernie Sanders Protests. Ideally, the American Civil Rights movement is regarded as a move incepted by blacks in the quest to obtain social justice in America. After the civil war, slavery was abolished which resulted to successful integration of the black community in America (Levy). However, discrimination against the black community ensued resulting in increased cases of racism. In this case, the blacks were denied employment opportunities and forced to work for whites as house helps. Others worked in plantations whereby the whites purchased their agricultural products at low prices to facilitate massive industrial production (Levy). Therefore, the black community had already tolerated enough violence and prejudice against the white community.
The movement was strategically implemented after the successful mobilization of people in support of equality. The movement lasted for over two decades which resulted to the recovery of the position attained during the reconstruction regime in the 1880s. The results were tangible as blacks were appointed in leadership roles for the first time in history (Tufekci 90). Upon assuming duties, blacks amended the constitution to promote equity among Americans (Levy). Ideally, the movement was established after Jim Crows dispensed the amendments incepted after the reconstruction. As a result, blacks were discriminated from using similar facilities, towns, and schools. The discrimination regime was aimed at making blacks to be dependent of the whites. Therefore, interracial marriages and the right of blacks to vote were banned.
American Civil Rights movement was highly supported after blacks emerged heroes during the onset of the second world war. As a result, some white leaders supported the initiative of establishing equal rights for all citizens regardless of the race. Several presidential regimes enhanced civil rights in the quest to eradicate traces of discrimination within the constitution. In 1963, August 28, a historical event on the movement occurred which was graced by famous civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr (Levy). The event attracted a congregation of over 200,000 people from all races purposely to force equity in rights and ensure that all individuals are given equivalent consideration in job opportunities. Subsequent protests occurred in 1965 which condemned the murder of one of the major activists of the black community, Jimmie Lee Jackson. This was followed by the assassinations of civil right leaders, Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X between February 1965 and April 1968. Persistent protests resulted at the end of the amendment of discrimination from the black community. The period is regarded as precarious one for black Americans. This is attributable to the undying love of the activists to see the black community enjoy freedom. Also, the period resulted to the elimination of black voter suppression, segregation, and discrimination in the employment facet.
The second movement in consideration represents networked action of course. Ideally, Bernie Sanders Movement is known to have failed in amassing 35% of democrats support which signifies its incompetency in achieving its objectives. Generally, Bernie Sander is the spearhead of the campaign which promises to do away with greenhouse gas emissions by introducing sustainable renewable energy sources (Penney 420). Also, the movement fights against income inequality in the U.S by advocating societal reforms. The campaign promises to implement societal rules that will lower poverty among the Jewish community. Sanders condemns racial disparities by encouraging large corporations to treat their employees equally. Sanders senatorial accomplishments include authoring various bills that have been voted into law in the quest to fight civil rights inequality.
Bernie Sanders movement has enabled him to spearhead various departments in the U.S within a short span of time. He has been regarded as a successful and practical legislator or the amendment king. Sanders has mandated a five-year investment to enhance the rebuild of U.S bridges and crumbling roads (Penney 420). The investment was anticipated to offer over 13 million decent jobs to Americans. This would result to a substantial decline in unemployment rates in America.
Sanders movement has campaigned against inequalities in the health care system by advocating for Medicare for All Act. In essence, America exhibits higher inequality gap implying that the rich run the economy. Sander introduced the idea of instituting equal medical services to all which will cost Americans less funds compared to the existing Medicare Acts. In this case, Sander targeted to lower inequality rates in the long run by implementing tax policies that would fund the program (Penney 420). The policy mandated the rich to pay more taxes than middle- and low-class earners in the quest to bridge inequality rates. In other cases, the poor would have free access to medical services. This would enhance the living standards of many which is a major indicator of economic growth. The movement has worked on ensuring that medicine is availed at a cheaper price by fighting the overpriced patents and copyrights which make them expensive. As a result, the leader, Sander, resolved to help cancer patients to access cheaper drugs by bus-loading them to Canada.
The movement has worked tirelessly to protect the pensions of the ageing working population. In essence, the subsequent economic recessions resulted in increased poverty among the ageing group in America as they spend most of their savings. Therefore, fighting for their pensions is a way of reducing the burden to the caregivers. Furthermore, Sanders movement fights to preserve the environment by condemning the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Ideally, global warming has resulted in ocean warming and a change in climatic patterns (Penney 420). Sanders movement is said to have resulted in a series of amendments in America whose impact is felt to-date. However, his recent loss of presidential campaigns could be the end of the movement that was instigated years ago.
Comparing the two movements, it can be concluded that modern protests have taken a different dimension of ensuring equity in the American community. The American civil rights depict a traditional setting of protests while Bernie Sanders campaigns indicate the impact of social networking in modern society. In essence, the American civil rights movement was spearheaded by a group of activists to eradicate discrimination of the black community in income-generating activities while Sanders movement has amended diverse bills within a short span of the period (Penney 420). This implies that modern protests can result to substantial results when strategically executed. In Essence, Bernie Sanders movement is funded by several individuals who have employed strategic decision-makers to oversee its success. This explains why a series of bills have been enacted to enhance equality in society.
The American civil rights movement ensued for over two decades since there were no leaders in place to support their grievances, unlike Bernie Sanders movement which is spearhead by major congress representatives. Therefore, modern protests are more successful when strategically implemented compared to traditional ones. Besides, traditional protests are violent as the police are involved. This can be traced in the case of American Civil Rights Movements Bloody Sunday which acted as a turn over for the white administration. Ideally, the evolving racial tensions resulted in bloodshed after one of the activists was murdered. The demonstrators planned for a violent march against Alabama Governor George Wallace who had ordered the police to use any measures in the quest to stop the protests. Although the protestors were warned to disperse, they ensured the demonstrations (Bainbridge). As a result, many demonstrators and police officers were reported dead and injured due to the violence that erupted among the groups. This implies that traditional protests are riskier compared to modern ones. However, the persistence of traditional protests results in long-lasting results compared to modern ones. For instance, the movement which started in the 1940s witnessed tangible results in the 1960s.
The freedom enjoyed to-date by the black community in America is attributed to the activists and protestors who laid down their lives to eradicating discrimination. In modern society, interracial marriages have skyrocketed as the cases of racism have declined substantially. Contrarily, Bernie Sanders bills enacted can be amended in the future. This implies that modern protests may not produce long-lasting results compared to traditional ones. Clearly, both forms of protests demand strategic and competent leaders to ensure their legacy in events when the leaders are not in place. For instance, the American Civil rights movement was led by several leaders who facilitated its legacy since the 1880s to 1965. As a result, its legacy was transferred from generation to generation until its objectives were attained. Besides, it was easy for the movements to recruit supporters across the towns to facilitate the protests.
The American Civil Rights movement amassed its supporters easily by increasing awareness on the need for equality in the black community. Thus, it was easy to recruit oppressed and fearless individuals to facilitate the protests. Besides, inhuman acts such as assassinations and murder of major activists sparked anger among the blacks thus easy to mobilize mass demonstrations. Conversely, modern protestors amass followers through political campaigns, and partnerships to ensure that various bills are enacted (Tufekci 90). Thus, it has been much easier for the protests to produce results within a short span of period. Although modern protests have proved to be more powerful despite their vulnerabilities.
References
Bainbridge, Alex. “Bernie Sanders’ campaign’invigorating and unifying’the left, social movements.” Green Left Weekly 1256 (2020): 12.
Levy, Peter B. The Civil Rights Movement: A Reference Guide. ABC-CLIO, 2019.
Penney, Joel. “Social media and citizen participation in official and unofficial electoral promotion: A structural analysis of the 2016 Bernie Sanders digital campaign.” Journal of communication 67.3 (2017): 402-423.
Tufekci, Zeynep. Twitter and tear gas: The power and fragility of networked protest. Yale University Press, 2017: 83-113
