Lecture Three [September 18, 2013]
Outline (due October 2) – 5% on submission
- 200 words (one page) on any topic that engages the themes of collective
behavior
o At crime, when no one moves
o Wartime
o Moral panic
o YouTube comments
- Has the following components:
o A clear and concise statement of your research question that can be
executed
o An explanation of how you are going to investigate your research
question, including outlining 3 themes (answer question with 3 ideas)
o Citing 3 academic sources that will assist you in starting your formal
writing (just a paragraph stating 3 reading/pieces, no works cited or
bibliography)
- Does not need to argue for anything
Collective Behavior: relatively spontaneous, unstructured, extra-institutional, extra-
normative, behavior of a fairly large number of individuals (Goode, 17)
- Often compared to normal behavior that is structured, institutionalized, and
conventional, etc.
- Not a very specific definition
- Spontaneity erupts into everyday life in different ways.
- Despite this definition, most behavior is not strictly normal behavior unless in
straightforward examples. Most behavior is not classic collective behavior. A
great deal of everyday behavior falls in a grey area. This grey area can tell us
things, things about socio-economic forces, media, technology, etc.
- This is particularly true, and classic ideas of collective behavior are being
rewritten, because of technology – development within last 5-7 years. With
change, people’s conception of space and time change.
o i.e. to be not in the social space you physically in (i.e. talking on the
phone while in line at supermarket)
- It is around a type of consciousness that has changed about space and time - Technological interaction has challenged and changed some theories about
collective behavior
Classical Definition (Tarde)
- Main distinction in the theory is the difference between public and crowd
- Public is scattered and diffused, connected only by a common interest
o i.e. public/mass connected by TV
- The Crowd: compact; members are in close physical proximity.
o Four types of crowds: casual (those who happen to be in the same place
in the same time), conventional (close proximity but tend to have common
purpose to be together – i.e. lecture), expressive (like convention, except
it goes further with common purpose, spatial proximity, but also being part
of the crowd with an emotional connection/sense of participation is
important – i.e. rock concert/political realm), acting (physical activity –
often portrayed in a negative sense with a mob idea. In fact it can be
both)
Conventional and expressive is fuzzy, can be both
- With technology, public and the crowd are creating a hybrid form of
communication.
o You don’t have to be in a physical world to be active
o The public and mass can now act as a crowd through social media
technologies. Facebook campaigns, social medial campaign, etc.) and the
public can create all types of crowds. So technology has expanded the
possibility for agency and possibility for action to people who are not just
physically connected.
- The definitions of what crowds are you can also apply to “publics.”
- This has happened in the last 7-8 years
- i.e. Sammy Yamin – We go into grey area. Is it collective behavior by classic
definition?
o Resulted in immediate online and physical rallies. The rallies are
considered collected behavior by the classic definition – semi-structured,
non-normative (attitudes of people towards the event), spontaneous
o The definition of crowd is new – people no longer need to be in close
proximity. The crowd that arose from this event was on social media sites,
Facebook pages, twitter and instagram commentaries, etc. – a virtual
crowd.
- i.e. Saint Mary’s Sex Chant o The outraged that it caused was widespread. They instantly were called
disgraced, etc. Students have been thrown out, degrees withdrawn, etc.
Ignited debate in all newspapers around sexual violence, etc.
o It was both men and women frosh leaders who were shouting the chant
o One of the things reported in media was response from students. There
were counter-protests i
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