Sociology 100

 Write two paragraphs for each question.

1. Over the past year or so, there have been a number of instances of collective behavior meant to bring about social change.  Nations other than the United States have also seen a number of protests and other forms of collective action.  Even during this pandemic, there continue to be instances of group action.  Check out some ways young people all over the world got involved in this past Earth Day. 

Using a recent event as an example and considering what you have learned about social movements and social change in this chapter, what role does social media play in the pursuit of social change?  How does social media advance the goals of a particular group advocating for some type of social change?  How might it undermine those efforts?  What effects might the global reach of social media have? 

2. Write about a fad, fashion trend, riot, or panic about which you are familiar.  (You do not have to have experienced it yourself; it is okay to just “know” about this example.)  Use either contagion theories, emergent norm theories, or value-added theory in order to explain why people participate(d) in this collective/crowd behavior.