[1] Dynamics of the Occupy Wall Street movement
This text is simple yet quite interesting in its analyses of different dynamics of a movement's evolution. It makes you realize how a single event (from a fringe group of people or the police) can significantly influence the future of a movement. Excerpt: The burgeoning Occupy Wall Street movement could be the spark that progressive activists have been waiting for -- an opportunity to reframe the economic crisis and generate broader support for government economic stimulation and for measures to promote greater equality. Occupy Wall Street's success will depend, in large part, on whether protesters effectively manage violence (as the Tea Party has) or fail to do so (as in the 1999 protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle).
posted by cawel 7 months ago | 5 comments
matt - 7 months ago (1 reply)
I am amazed by the amount of press coverage about press coverage when it comes to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Half of the articles I read about the movement describe the way news outlets are picturing the protesters. I don't know why that is.
cawel - 7 months ago (1 reply)
Probably because this was controversial in the beginning of the movement. At first, it was only alternative media which were covering the protests, and they were complaining loudly about why mainstream media were *not* covering it. Another reason might be that the protesters' demands will be relayed differently depending on the news outlet. For example, Fox News will picture the movement as a group of people not paying their taxes. The Economist will picture it as an anti-globalization movement, and Democracy Now! will picture it as the anger from the masses at the banks which got bailed-out with the taxpayers money. And I believe those 2 issues are important. But I guess you wish you could read more info about the movement itself, and less about the news outlets?
matt - 7 months ago (1 reply)
I think these issues are important too -- I'm not complaining. But I find it striking: I haven't seen so much coverage about coverage for any other event.
cawel - 7 months ago (1 reply)
Should we call it "meta journalism"? :)
matt - 7 months ago (0 replies)
Haha. I'm trying really hard not to... Geek alert!