This document discusses collective behavior and social movements. It defines collective behavior as gatherings of two or more people in public places that can include demonstrations, riots, or other behaviors. Behaviors within gatherings can include milling, common focus, locomotion, queuing, and vocalization. Demonstrations are gatherings primarily for protest or celebration, while riots consist mainly of violence against people or property. For social movements to form, they require an existing communications network that can be co-opted by movement ideas as well as organizing efforts to unite spontaneous groups. Examples discussed include the civil rights movement, women's liberation movement, Arab Spring, and Occupy Wall Street.

1. Collective Behavior & Social Movements

2. Collective BehaviorMicroMacroOrigins of collective behaviorComplexity of collective behaviorConsequences for societyHow individuals come to participate in collective behaviorWhat individuals doIndividual consequences

3. Collective BehaviorGatherings“Two or more persons present at one time in a public place…not synonymous with collective behavior but provide circumstances in which it may occur.”

4. Collective BehaviorDemonstrations“Gatherings consisting primarily though not exclusively of individual and/or collective behaviors of protest or celebration.”

5. Collective BehaviorRiots“Gatherings or demonstrations consisting primarily but not exclusively of individual and/or collective violence against person or property.”

6. Collective BehaviorBehaviors within gatheringsMillingCommon focusCollective locomotionQueuingCollective vocalization

7. Collective BehaviorBehaviors within demonstrationsPolitical demonstrationsAdvocacy or protest of some principle, actor or action

8. Collective BehaviorBehavior within demonstrationsReligious ralliesEmotions – religious ecstasy

9. Collective BehaviorBehavior within demonstrationsSporting eventsRoar of the crowd“Home crowd” advantage

10. Collective BehaviorBehavior within riotsLooting

11. Social MovementsMost movements have inconspicuous beginningsWe remember the causes and motivations for the movements, but rarely the “spark” that sets it off

12. Social MovementsMasses alone do not form movementsProtests dissolve without infrastructureWhen the infrastructure dies, so does the protest

13. Social MovementsGrowth of a preexisting communications network that is…Cooptable to the ideas of the new movementSeries of crises that galvanize into action people involved in a cooptable movement and/orSubsequent organizing effort to weld the spontaneous groups into a movement

14. Civil Rights MovementRosa Parks & lunch counter sit-inWell establishing preexisting communications networkChurchLeaders

15. Women’s Liberation MovementWomen are not well organizedLack of well-established communications network required one or more organizes to put the wheels in motionNational Organization for Women & smaller groupsOrganizers

16. Arab SpringSince December 18, 2010…YemenEgyptTunisiaKuwaitLebanonIsraelLibyaBahrainSyriaMauritaniaSudanIraqOmanJordanAlgeriaWestern SaharaMoroccoSaudi Arabia

17. Occupy Wall Street“Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The only thing we all have in common is that we are the 99% that will no longer tolerate the greet and corruption of the 1%.”

23. https://occupywallstreet.org