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WK 5 Mla Small Change-2 2

The document summarizes and critiques points from Malcolm Gladwell's article "Small Change". Gladwell argues that successful protests require strong social ties and organization, which newer forms of social media and technology do not provide. However, the document argues this view was disproven by the 2020 BLM protests, which effectively used technology. While technology can enable trivial uses, the BLM protests showed it also supports large, impactful social movements when combined with structure and coordination.

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78 views

WK 5 Mla Small Change-2 2

The document summarizes and critiques points from Malcolm Gladwell's article "Small Change". Gladwell argues that successful protests require strong social ties and organization, which newer forms of social media and technology do not provide. However, the document argues this view was disproven by the 2020 BLM protests, which effectively used technology. While technology can enable trivial uses, the BLM protests showed it also supports large, impactful social movements when combined with structure and coordination.

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Laureano 1

E.E. Laureano

Professor David R. DiSarro Ph.D.

English 111

10 October 2021

Small Change Why the revolution will not be tweeted, by Malcolm Gladwell

The following essay will cover some aspects of pages 399-415 in the Malcom Gladwell

piece Small Change, Why the revolution will not be tweeted. The author describes the

importance of protests and revolutions in the recent world history and how they were structured.

One point that comes forward is the importance of the oppressed or downtrodden coming

together to fight the oppression, something that has become decentralized with technology.

Modern tech has made many things convenient but is more of a compliment to the status quo and

not an inherit enemy of society.

Overview

The article starts with a description of the sit in protest of a Greensboro North Carolina

Woolworth in 1960. An important act of defiance against unfair treatment of African Americans

and one that within a week had spread well beyond North Carolina. A huge undertaking given

the minimal tech at the time was well below what is available now. The author describes a

hierarchical system during those protests that was vital to spreading the word and recruiting.

“Activism that challenges the status quo, that attacks deeply rooted problems, is not for the faint

of heart,” thus recruiting critical or real friends was important.(Gladwell) A critical friend back

then was one of substance whereas the internet has opened people to more connections but
Laureano 2

weaker ties. Modern times have also fostered a closed-minded view of the past struggles. The

author cites Robert Darnton, “The marvels of communication technology in the present have

produced a false consciousness about the past,” as an example of modern dismissive attitudes

toward the past.(Gladwell)

Assumptions

Malcom Gladwell makes a strong point for there being the ability to organize and protest,

however even with a good structure revolution is not always an option people are willing to

explore. A commonly known fact is that the people of North Korea live in very bad

circumstances, yet they do not revolt. Belief in the system, strong arm security measures ,

numbing loyalty and scarcity of supplies keep the masses at bay.(Is the Kim Family Regime

Rational and Why Don’t the North Korean People Rebel?) While illustrating terrorist groups as

examples of organizations with strong internal ties, this can be a turn off for readers. Given a

revolt against the establishment might be labeled as terrorism, the terrorist moniker has become

taboo.

The author’s opinion that tech ties are weaker, implies there is no expectation of anything

coming from the internet world. This point was completely dispelled by the BLM protests of

2020. During a moment of injustice and a pandemic, people came together to protest using

technology to organize and get the word out to people when and where protests were schedule.

BLM is structured and has an IT department that helps to coordinate and process the

communications traffic for greater effect. While the protests have seemed to draw down, the

messaging continues against racial injustice in America.


Laureano 3

Conclusion

In closing the author speaks of a wall street individual using tech to retrieve a lost cell phone as a

good example of how tech can function in a trivial matter. Modern internet weak ties, and people

more in tune with society have blurred the definition of natural enemy to the powers that are in

control. In 2010 the latter might have been more relevant than in 2021. As listed above BLM

made great use of the internet, indigenous peoples and refugees are also coming to make use of

the advantages of the modern technology.


Laureano 4

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. “Small Change.” The New Yorker, Sept. 2010. www.newyorker.com,

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell.

High, Peter. “Technology’s Role In Driving Progress In Black Lives Matter.” Forbes,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2020/07/30/technologys-role-in-driving-progress-in-

black-lives-matter/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2021.

Is the Kim Family Regime Rational and Why Don’t the North Korean People Rebel? - Foreign Policy

Research Institute. https://www.fpri.org/article/2012/01/is-the-kim-family-regime-rational-and-

why-dont-the-north-korean-people-rebel/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2021.

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