Social Movement Networks
According to Della Porta and Diani there are two types of networks in social movements. The first is exclusive networks which "demand a long novitiate, rigid discipline, and a high level of commitment, intruding upon every aspect of their members' lives" (126). Examples of an exclusive network would be many religious groups or a commune. In these networks interaction is typically only among other members, and is very rigid. On the other side are multiple organizational networks. These differ because these groups allow their members to belong to multiple groups which provides beneficial because members are able to establish personal contacts which helps with mobilization.
Mobilization is extremely important in any social movement. It is one thing to care about an issue, but mobilization is key to the success of any social movement. Passy and Giugni cite four questions people ask before they get involved in a movement. The first is what is the likelihood it will be effective? There must be a perceived effectiveness of the action taking place or people will be less likely to get involved. The next question is whether the risks of collective behavior are less than the perceived effectiveness. If the risks are higher than the goals, people are less likely to get involved. The third question is what is the behavior of the authorities? The final question is what is my personal availability? This question shows what amount of time and effort a person wants to put into a social movement.
Personal availability is an important question people must ask before joining a social movement. As the Hannigan article mentions, many social movements attract a specific type of person. Usually these people are well off and have a lot of leisure time. Another group that is often targeted are college students because they also have a lot of leisure time.
Since I am a college student I see how many groups target people my age. I see this first taking effect by looking at all of the groups that JMU has that we can become members of. There are groups that spark so many different interests, and most of the time if there is not a group currently established many students take the initiative to start a group themselves. An example of this is the PRSSA, which was established last spring. The groups at JMU are also a good example of multiple organization networks. Often people who are involved are usually involved in more then one group, and the groups they are involved in often overlap with each other. For example many people who are in the stop mountaintop removal are also in the clean air coalition and the student environmental action coalition.
Students can also become involved in many grassroots campaigns and service projects. For example I currently joined SAFETY which is a grassroots campaign started by students to help clean up New Orleans. If I didn't have so much leisure time it would be impossible to try and get involved.
Mobilization is extremely important in any social movement. It is one thing to care about an issue, but mobilization is key to the success of any social movement. Passy and Giugni cite four questions people ask before they get involved in a movement. The first is what is the likelihood it will be effective? There must be a perceived effectiveness of the action taking place or people will be less likely to get involved. The next question is whether the risks of collective behavior are less than the perceived effectiveness. If the risks are higher than the goals, people are less likely to get involved. The third question is what is the behavior of the authorities? The final question is what is my personal availability? This question shows what amount of time and effort a person wants to put into a social movement.
Personal availability is an important question people must ask before joining a social movement. As the Hannigan article mentions, many social movements attract a specific type of person. Usually these people are well off and have a lot of leisure time. Another group that is often targeted are college students because they also have a lot of leisure time.
Since I am a college student I see how many groups target people my age. I see this first taking effect by looking at all of the groups that JMU has that we can become members of. There are groups that spark so many different interests, and most of the time if there is not a group currently established many students take the initiative to start a group themselves. An example of this is the PRSSA, which was established last spring. The groups at JMU are also a good example of multiple organization networks. Often people who are involved are usually involved in more then one group, and the groups they are involved in often overlap with each other. For example many people who are in the stop mountaintop removal are also in the clean air coalition and the student environmental action coalition.
Students can also become involved in many grassroots campaigns and service projects. For example I currently joined SAFETY which is a grassroots campaign started by students to help clean up New Orleans. If I didn't have so much leisure time it would be impossible to try and get involved.
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