In my COMM 340 class, on persuasion and advocacy, I learned about applying social movement theories to social movements. I did this by reading assigned class readings, and watching a social movement documentary called the "The Hunting Ground," to get a sense of how a social movement develops. By participating in these activities, I learned how social movement theories are present within several of the social movements which show how they are used to persuade and to advise the public. By applying a social movement theory towards a social movement of my choosing I learned I can become more aware of how social movement theories impact many of the social movements that I and others view within the media. The social movement I chose to do my media analysis on is called the "Men's Rights Social Movement." I chose to analyze the "Men's Rights Social Movement" using the social movement theory of convergence.
The "Men's Rights Social Movement" is a social movement comprising groups and organizations of men and their allies. This focus on gender-specific issues and their activities range from self-help and support to lobbying and activism. The movement is predominantly Western and it emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. Members of this group have joined together to focus on numerous social issues. These social issues include: family law, parenting, reproduction, domestic violence and government services. This social movement also focuses on the issues of education, compulsory military service, social safety nets and health policies. Many men's rights advocates say policies passed for these social issues discriminate against men and give women more privilege over them.
To apply the "Men's Rights Social Movement" to the Social Movement Convergence Theory, one has to have knowledge on what the theory is about. According to Steven E. Barkan in Chapter 21: Collective Behavior and Social Movements from the book "Sociology: Comprehensive Edition," the Convergence theory is one of the theories that presents a new understanding of collective behavior. In this theory, crowds do not influence individuals to act in emotional or even violent ways. Rather, the crowd behavior reflects the behavior and attitudes of the individuals who decide to join the crowd. Once the members of a crowd converge, the behavior of the crowd is a result of their behavior and attitude. Therefore, instead of the crowd affecting the individuals in it, the individuals in it affect the crowd. This type of formation correlates to the scenario of people feeling a certain way about a particular issue. Due to them wishing to act in a certain way the people will tend to find and connect with similar people. The crowd they form will then reflect their shared beliefs and desired activities.
To connect the Convergence Theory to the "Men's Rights Social Movement" it is done in the following fashion. The main cause members have in common about joining this social movement group is the view they all share about the lack of rights men are perceived to have less of in modern society compared to women. Therefore, the members of the "Men's Rights Social Movement" come together to promote the change of having more opportunities for men in modern society. They do this by rallying together about the various issues regarding social issues such as family law, parenting, reproduction, domestic violence, government services, education, compulsory military service, social safety nets, and health policies. To make their similar views heard, members do actions like solidarity marches and signing petitions. By doing these actions together as a crowd, the members are converging their similar beliefs to fight for male rights. This action is more effective to get their beliefs across to others than if the members did this individually on their own and did not join together to create a social movement group.
In conclusion, the application of social movement theories can be integrated within the formation of several of the recent social movements that are displayed within the media. Social movements are great visual examples which show that through critical application those in the media can use them to help persuade and to advise the public to join a specific social movement or cause. By analyzing the social media theory of convergence and seeing how it applies to the "Men's Rights Movement", I learned I can become more aware of how this persuasion and advocacy social movement theory is used within the formation of several social movement groups that I and others view within the media on a daily basis.
References:
Barkan, S. E. (2012). Chapter 21: Collective Behavior and Social Movements. In Sociology: Comprehensive Edition. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/sociology-co...
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Men's rights movement. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men's_rights_movemen...
