Networks in Activism
As technology advances, networks and communication continue to evolve and change. The world we experience today is drastically different from the world in which the previous generation grew up. Over the years, the ratio of strong and weak ties that people typically have has shifted. In the past, people generally had a few strong ties, mainly with close friends and family. People also had several weak ties, often with neighbors, colleagues, classmates, etc. Today, people have similar amounts of strong ties as the previous generation. However, the introduction of social media and online communication have allowed people to have large amounts of weak ties. New technologies, such as social media platforms and mobile communication, have allowed people to connect with others around the world, vastly expanding people’s networks. However, this can hinder individual connections, because people are distracted and preoccupied with other connections. Although people now have many acquaintances, we do not necessarily have closer relationships than in the past. Qualities such as trust, support, and accountability are found only in strong ties. At the same time, weak ties can provide new perspectives, skills, and information that we would otherwise not be exposed to.
Weak ties can allow for the diffusion of innovations, as well as the spread of information. Many people have began to take advantage of the networks formed through social media platforms, using them to raise awareness and promote social causes. Researchers have observed the strong influence that peers have on an individual. Just as people often have a threshold for adopting a new technology, some people have a threshold for supporting a certain social movement. People have both an expressive utility, the desire to say what one thinks, and a reputational utility, the desire to be respected by others. One’s reputational utility can often overpower their expressive utility. This strong peer influence makes networks a key component in the success of social movements.