Comparing Traditional Cultivism And Online Activism

In the Gladwell’s article, Why the Revolution will not be Tweeted (2010), he compares and contrasts traditional activism and online activism. Gladwell ultimately distinguishes traditional activism and online activism as “strong ties” and “weak ties.” He explains that “strong ties” are the ties that have been made when dense social capital existed, the ties that caused the civil-rights movement and other revolutions within Italy, Afghanistan, and East Germany. He talks about social networks such as Twitter and Facebook as “weak ties” because they do not involve the same participation and involvement, saying that “the kind of activism associated with social media isn’t like this at all" (Gladwell, 5). Traditional activism does not compare to
online activism according to Gladwell since traditional activism has a stronger connection between the people and the cause they’re fighting for. The Greensboro students had relationship with one another, making the cause being more meaningful. The civil-rights movement, for example, could not have been taken place because of social networks. People actually needed to get out there and form ties with people and act upon those ties by doing things like protesting within a coffee shop like the Greensboro students did (Gladwell, 4). Although online activism is no way near to the Greensboro students’ bond, and that platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are now recognized as “tools” for building up a person’s recognition, it helps connect with other people from different cities and countries that have the same stance as yourself, making it “our greatest source of new ideas and information” (Gladwell, 2-5). Gladwell also states another crucial distinction between traditional activism and online activism is that “social media are not about this kind hierarchical organization”, meaning that “the networks aren’t controlled by a single central authority, decisions are made through consensus” (Gladwell, 7). This can be a drawback for online activism since there’s no strategic plan provided; everyone is like an editor in one Wikipedia page, making edits that can be permanently deleted or restored (Gladwell, 8).