Earl’s “Movement Societies and Digital
Protest”
Earl’s Movement Society
and Digital Protest
The sociological theory provides an explanation of human
behavior in their respective societies. The article explains how sociologists
have noted a significant increase in fan activism. This growth is mostly
attributed to the widespread registration of fan claims through the internet. Several
studies have failed to determine the exact role of the internet in this
development, offer an explanation of why fan dissatisfaction has been voiced
through protest, and they have been able to measure the extent of existing fan
activism. The article tried to answer these questions by explaining the protest
practices and their causes outside the conventional movement of societies (Earl
& Kimport, 2009). The article is centered on the fact that the internet has
led to an increase in protest practices for fan activism to explain its
concepts.
The author precisely
used data provided in quasi-random online samples of letter writing
initiatives, online and petitions, to draw several conclusions. The outcome
from the analysis of this data supported the hypothesis which was being tested.
The results proved that various online claims are being instigated online
concerning protests practices for fan activism. This includes the
consumer-based claims and the culture related claims which are widespread in
these online platforms (Earl & Kimport, 2009). The results further showed
that such claims are explicitly different from the traditional social movement
claims. The research done on this article presents a starting point for further
research to be done, especially on examining the effects of the increasingly
prevalent usage of internet on the continuous movements in the society. The
outcomes arrived at after analysis will impact the readers in terms of social
movements, internet studies, and sociologist of culture.
References
Earl, J., & Kimport,
- (2009). Movement societies and digital protest: Fan activism and other
nonpolitical protest online. University of California, Santa Barbara. Sociological Theory, 27(3), 220-243.