Impact Of Media On Global Social Movements Politics Essay

Imp bit Of Media On Global br some otherly private roads Politics EssayIn this paper my aim would be to bring forth various views and theories of affectionate strawmans and explore the evolution of globose companionable movements in the recent past. In the later part of my paper I would be discussing the role of visual sense media in spherical cordial movements and would withal include the concept of untested media and contemporary hearty net gains in the cyber space and their impact on global genial movements. But frontmost I would like to start with a few definitions and views on global tender movements by eminent scholars and intellectuals. affable MOVEMENTSThe term companionable movements was introduced in 1850 by the German SociologistLorenz von Steinin his book History of the French Social heading from 1789 to the Present. Since then, the term has interpreted different meanings and interpretations. Charles Tillydefines kindly movements as, a series of contenti ous performances, displays and campaigns by which unremarkable mickle made corporal claims on others1.For Tilly, tender movements atomic subject 18 a major vehicle for ordinary heaps participation in customary politics. Sidney Tarrowdefines a cordial movement as, corporate ch aloneenges to elite groups, authorities, other groups or ethnic codes by people with common purposes and solidarity in sustained inter military saves with elites, opponents and authorities2. Scholars like Escobar ensure affectionate movements as sources of alternatives, hopes and theories of how the world posterior be made other than3. Bourdieus argument on social movements is that, its not the market, as its tried to realize us believe today, just now the social movement, which has genteelized the market rescue bandage largely contributing to its efficacy4. Touraine, on the other hand, contends that social movements atomic number 18 not positive or negative agents of history, of modernizati on, or of the relaxation behavior of mankind. They act in a given type of social output signal and organization5. His views differ from the romanticisers of social movements and from those who define a social pull finished mainly in terms of effectiveness in bringing closely social change or resistance, to varying degrees, like McAdam and Snow6. Social movements ar as well as encountern as organizational and g everyplacenmental opportunities by about and as effects as well as results of power structures, form struggles and identity politics by others. Some like Rucht find the jimmy by combining them and arguing that a social movement exists to the completion that the following qualities atomic number 18 co-present In structural terms, social movements are networks of groups and/or organizations regarding their aims, they are searchs to fundamentally change purchase order (including power structures and basic values) or to resist such changes7.Global social movements take in intensified in recent years some of these movements contest not merely the unfeigned character and consequences of stream global socioeconomic relations but also the very foundation g everywherening them. One of the reasons may be the global economic and technological clayal integration which has consistently been disarming the traditional well- cosmos function of the state and in turn generating change magnitude misery, inequalities and conflicts. This has yieldd grounds for citizens and civil society groups of diverse origins to express their resentment and advance claims in increase numbers. thither has been an emergence and consolidation of global civil society which is believed to be bigger and wider, offering a positive resolution, even counterweight, to a take notion that linked globalization to economic work outes alone. I would like to keep my discussion on GSMs with some theories relating to social movements.THEORIES OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTTypically, Europ ean social movement theorists tended to view contentious collective action finished a Marxian lens, proffering structural analyses to varying degrees. However, a icon shift occurred which show old social movement surmise (class based) from sassy social movement theory ( burnish based). I would discuss some theories relating to social movements like collective behaviour theory, vision mobilisation theory, political process theory, social constructionist theory, naked as a jaybird social movement theory and the networks theory.Collective Behaviour suppositionThis theory states that social movements differ a little from other group manifestations, such as panics, crowds and crazes. Generally, this theory advanced the notion that social movements were little much than the to the highest degree well-organized and self-conscious part of an archipelago of emergent phenomena, ranging from fads and rumours, to collective enthusiasm, riots, movements and revolutions8. There have b een different approaches to this theory. Beginning with Symbolic interactionism which is a variant of classic collective behaviour theory wherein creative agency triumphs over structural determination, and the induction and interpretation of meaning are the pick out. This model views collective behaviour as the spontaneous development of norms and organization that contest the status quo, and provoke one-on-one reactions to social disintegration, which then form into a general, collective response. Another stochastic variable of collective behaviour theory parallels the overarching theoretical paradigm of structural-functionalism in an attempt to link broad, structural ingredients to specific occasions of collective behaviour efflorescence in several necessary stages like, structural conduciveness, structural strain, generalized beliefs that provide meaning and want and events or actions that catalyse collective behaviour corporeal mobilization of actors and the absence or suspension of social control9. The 3rd approach identifies Relative deprivation as the motivating force shadower collective action represents another(prenominal) variant of classic collective behaviour theory. In sum, this concept stipulates that a group decides to act collectively when people judge themselves as lacking certain resources in relation to another group.Resource Mobilization possibilityThe demise of the collective behaviour paradigm came about during the tumultuous 1960s with the advent of new social movements. correspond to McAdam10, theorizing social movements as a response to social strain was gnarled in that it did not take the larger political scope into careation. In assigning causation of social movements to individual discontentedness, collective behaviour was considered defective and apolitical. Resource mobilization theory arose during the 1970s as a response to the shortcomings of collective behaviour theory. It held that in contentious collective ac tion, passion gave focus to rational calculation, and the collective good acquiesced to individual gain as mobilizing factors. Thus, activism relied on the ability of social movements to muster resources and engage in planned, rational action11. In this analysis, activists were not considered under the s way of sen cartridge clipnts, emotions, and ideologies that guided his or her action rather, collective behaviour should be understood in terms of the logic of costs and benefits as well as opportunities for action Proponents of this model argued that increased personal resources, the professionalization of activism and the availability of external financial support could adequately account for contentious collective action. The focus, therefore, was on resource aggregation, and facilitation by social movement organizations (SMOs), formal or professional organizations that identify their goals with those of a social movement. In contrast to collective behaviour theory, which foc ap ply on why collective action occurred, resource mobilization theory attempted to decide the persistent question of how social movements organized and mobilized.Political Process TheoryThe political process model developed as an alternative to resource mobilization theory. Here, the success or failure of social movements depended on political opportunities created by ruptures in the institutional structure and the ideology of power- afforders12. Three all important(p) components comprise this theory. The first demarks the political structure as an external factor not under the machinate control of challengers, but critical to a movements success. The second is an internal factor the organizational strength of activists, the product of interaction between movement members, leaders and incentives. The final component is McAdams13cognitive liberation, or a change in group consciousness whereby potential protesters see the existing social regulate not only as illegitimate, but also a s subject to change finished their own direct efforts14. Thus, revolutions owe less(prenominal) to the efforts of insurgents than to the work of systemic crises which render the existing administration weak and vulnerable to challenge from virtually any quarter.Social Constructionist TheorySocial constructionism approaches collective action as an interactive, symbolically defined and negotiated process among participants, opponents and bystanders15. Central to this theory is, the concept is of close in, which describes how activists make sense of their social worlds16. Frames live shared understandings and identities that generate the trust and cooperation amongst activists necessary for collective action. In the context of social movements, frames dignify discontent, identify grievances and assemble the grievances of various groups17. Grievances are shut in in three ways. Diagnostic framing identifies a problem as well as a intention for action and prognostic framing suggests solutions, including strategies and tactics specific to the target. Together, they mobilize consensus, creating a base from which movements may recruit however, collective action is not the necessary outcome of this process. In order for people to act contentiously, they must have compelling reasons to do so. Thus, motivational framing provides inspiration and rationale for action18.New Social Movement TheoryNSM theorists stressed that social transformation is mediated through culture as well as politics narrowly defined, that the personal and the cultural are as politically real as, and are not reducible to, power struggles in the state and economy19. As Melucci, observes, Conflicts move from the economic-industrial system to the cultural sphere. They focus on personal identity, the time and space of life, and the motivation and codes of daily behaviour20. That is to say, activists in new social movements turned their gaze inward, focusing on issues as they affected their person al lives, and pursuing social change through politicizing culture.Networks TheoryThe concept of networks helps to address the division created by a narrow focus on identity, as mediated through cultural analysis, in social movement theory. According to Castells, New data technologies, by transforming the processes of reading processing, act upon all domains of human activity, and make it come-at-able to establish endless connections between different domains, as well as between elements and agents of such activities21. Castells observes that, As people organized meaning about who they were, rather than what they did, the process of globalization relied on increasingly integrated networks of instrumental exchange22. According to Appadurai, the result of globalized communication and mass migration is the creation of diasporic humans spheres, phenomena that confound theories that depend on the continued salience of the nation-state as the key arbiter of important social changes2 3. The electronic revolution has facilitated the globalization of capitalism it has also enabled the globalization of protest, as Dyer-Witheford24observes New information technologies therefore egress not just as instruments for the circulation of commodities, but simultaneously as convey for the circulation of struggles. Thus, social movements become increasingly global both(prenominal) in target and in form. The movements that oppose corporate globalization, like the Zapatistas and the Anti-Corporate Globalization Movement (ACGM), are prime examples of network-based social movements. My further discussions would principally be based on this theory of networks in social movements with an emphasis on the rise of social networks in GSMs and their role in felicitating them.MEDIA AND GSMsIn this part of my paper I would give a brief evolution of media as a irradiation for social change and would also discuss the use of ICTs in GSMs. I would give some examples of social media and would conclude this part with views of authors and scholars who are divided up on the positive and negative role of media in social movements.MEDIA FOR swapTRADITIONAL MEDIASoon after the end of World War II the importance of mass media like newspapers, radio, cinema and television as accelerators in spreading ideas about progress and development began to be recognised. There are numerous examples in history where movements have been influenced by media. The issues at that time were more political than social but slowly, the same process was followed in carrying out social movements. It was already well documented how during War quantify radios and newspapers were used along with televisions to create a earthly concern sphere where people shared ideas and issues of common interest in a democracy. How leaders through their mesmerising speeches were able to instil patriotic feeling in their countrymen. These established norms gave way to the use of mass media in different social m ovements. In the Indian context one piece of ass find the use of such convey during the Green Revolution, Family planning Communications. In Latin America, Paulo Freire (1971) used it for adult literacy programmes. however with the advent of the ICTs one can palliate find that the maximum meat of information dissemination in social movements, even today, is done through these means. May it be an environmental campaign or anti-corruption campaign, this mode still remains a dominant player in social change. in the altogether MEDIA INTERNETThe battles of Seattle, Washington, Prague and Genoa, with an unforeseen mixture of nationalities and movements, became world news. Interestingly, the new media seemed to play a crucial role in the organization of these global-protests. Internet has been widely used as a tool for social change and social movements in the recent past. I will illustrate some popular examples corroborating my statement.Zapatistas MovementBeginning in 1994, the Zapa tistas used the Internet to turn a local dispute over land in Chiapas, Mexico into an international debate over the ill effects of corporate globalization. They incorporated their localized concerns over the death penalty of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into an international agenda opposed to global economic policies that usurp national political reign and recolonize debtor nations. The Zapatistas and their supporters worldwide thus fashioned an ideology that rejected neoliberalism, which for them refers less to policy or theory and more directly to degrading environmental conditions and escalating human rights abuses25. Thus, they used the Internet to weave a new electronic fabric of struggle26to rally support for their revolution throughout Mexico and crossways the globe.The Anti-Corporate Globalization MovementThe Anti-Corporate Globalization movement built on the foundations put by the Zapatistas, using the Internet to connect with social justice activists rough the world, to serve as a forum for education and discussion, and to disseminate information unavailable in the corporate mainstream press. The Internet was also critical in the logistical organization of the massive demonstrations against the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle in 1999. This protest marked the birth of the ACGM, which gathered within its folds other activist movements, organizations and networks. For the first time in living memory, possibly ever, legion(predicate) different grievances and causes were represented under one broad banner social justice. Thus workers walked arm in arm with environmentalists, feminists, human rights workers, farmers, and fair flip-flop advocates. The strife of Seattle marked the beginning of a new form of activism the new communication technology that made the globalization of capital possible also spurred the globalization of protest and facilitated globalization from below. The Internet was instrumental in both shrink ing vast geographical distances, and in disseminating a new clear of global consciousness.There was also the increased use of SMSs by the protestors in organizing and carrying out their protests. There were termed as Smart Mobs, though it is still not a major tool of social movement it has had its impact during the 1999 Battle of Seattle, 1992 Critical Mass Bicycle demos of San Francisco and September 2000 protest in Britain over fuel price rise. Many social movements relating to environment, health, etc. have taken post Seattle through use of ICTs, social networking, websites, etc. The Coffee fellowship on Facebook is one such example of a movement that was initiated and primarily carried out on the social networking site Facebook. Though these developments seem to hold both a bright future for social movements and interesting measure for social movement researchers, nothing assures us that movements always make society more democratic27. Tilly advocates that, technological det erminism ought to be avoided and that one should recognize that not all new features of social movements result from technical innovations but most of them from alterations in their social and political contexts28. Relying on ICT services also requires being able to cope with their risks and dangers therefore most 21st century social movement activity continues to rely on the local, regional, and national forms of organization that already prevailed during the later 20th century29.HOSTILE MEDIAOne of the first diminutive examinations of a social movement protest in the media focused on a mass demonstration held against the Vietnam War in Britain30. The demonstration voluminous approximately 60,000 protesters, most of who marched peacefully through the streets of London (with an insignificant number of protestors involved in violent actions). However, despite the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of the march, the media concentrated most of its coverage on the issue of violence31. The re were differences between media outlets in their coverage they were all united by the overall focus on the same limited aspect the issue of violence. The falsification of this massive political rally, and the totality of the negative coverage across all media outlets led the investigators to conclude that such reporting poses extreme problems for democracy, which may only be remedied by some form of institutional rearrangement32.For any social movement to draw beneficial attention to its activities in the mass media, the first barrier it must overcome is the structural constraints of the medium itself. According to Herman and Chomskys33Propaganda Model, there are five filters through which all news must pass, that actively shape the medias content. These are (1) the size, ownership and profit orientation of the media, (2) advertising, (3) sourcing, (4) flak (criticism) and (5) anti-communist ideology, which can be interpreted as keeping the discourse within the boundaries of el ite interests. According to Sidney Tarrow, The media are crucial in a social movements efforts to scatter its demands. But the media are anything but neutral in the framing of activists concerns and events. On the one hand, the media provide a broad base for consensus formation that is ticklish for movements to achieve on their own. On the other hand, while the media may not work directly for the ruling class, they certainly do not work for social movements34.CONCLUSIONThe mass media is an important outlet for social movements, where the whole tone and nature of media coverage strongly influences how they are perceived in the public eye. It is important for social movements, whose transitional and adversarial nature weakens their ability to secure public legitimacy. Their outsider status, along with their usual resource-poor nature, means that traditional avenues of publicity are not easily accessible and forces them to rely on alternative methods to obtain media access. Traditio nally, this involves some form of public spectacle like a protest to retract media attention. These activities have become accepted as mechanisms by which social problems are communicated in the public sphere, alongside public opinion polls and elections and they act as vital means by which citizens can signal their discontent35.Key to any social movements eventual success in reforming the current world order is its ability to garner majority support, which is severely curb by the mass media. Global justice movements profess to want to mobilize entire communities worldwide to enable truly participative decision-making. However, if this is rightfully the case, they need to consider whether the same media system that serves to naturalise and legitimise elite decision-making, can really encourage its antithesis, collective grassroots decision-making. It seems an anathema to even consider that by working on the terms set by the mass media, social movements are actually legitimisin g and tightening its hegemonic power over society, even while it simultaneously acts to de-legitimise or ignore the global justice movement. Therefore, it is time for social movements to take collective action. To start with, democratic media reform needs to be recast as an end in itself, a public good, not simply a means by which each movement can get its message out36. In this way, a media reform fox can be linked to the wider array of social movements calling for a more equitable and participatory democracy.