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Summary Of Small Change By Malcolm Gladwell

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Summary Response Essay Malcolm Gladwell’s essay “Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted” is an excellent essay about how technology has affected activism. Specifically, Gladwell is writing this essay in response to the generalization that technology makes activism easier and/ or more effective. Gladwell continually references the Greensboro Sit-In that occurred in in early February of 1960. He uses this example as an example of what activism used to be like. In particular he emphasizes the dedication, danger, passion for the cause, and willpower that activism took in those days. He further expounds upon the use of technology in the modern era and how it affects communication. He agrees that people are much more connected because of technology but also notes that that connection is …show more content…

The following quote from the essay is an excellent example of the distinction that he makes, “The evangelists of social media don’t understand this distinction; they seem to believe that a Facebook friend is the same as a real friend and that signing up for a donor registry in Silicon Valley today is activism in the same sense as sitting at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro in 1960.” This quote also brings to light his opinion about the level of commitment and sacrifice activism demands now compared to a less technological age. He makes the point that social media and technology make contributing to a cause, such as the Save Darfur Coalition page on Facebook, much easier today because they can reach greater number of people and that people are more likely to contribute because it costs them little in terms of resources (time, money, travel ect). He also weighs the merits of the structure of activism through social media versus the structure of a more centralized

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