Success of Social Movements: A Case of Black Lives Matter

SUCCESS OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: A CASE OF BLACK LIVES MATTER
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Success of Social Movements: A Case of Black Lives Matter
In most modern-day societies, the health of democracies is regularly assessed by the capacity of their citizens to take part in decision-making processes regarding issues affecting them. Such systems, irrespective of their foundations, can be easily destabilized by mass disengagement; as such, citizens can spearhead attempts to liberate present-day democracies by engaging in politics but not in the traditional ways. Since the onset of the 20th Century, citizens aren’t participating in politics by joining political parties but by involvement in mass mobilizations and movements to champion a particular social cause (Haslanger, 2017). As such, democratization in modern-day politics is widely viewed as progressive inclusion of different social groups in political undertakings; such political engagements don’t necessarily have to be within the boundaries of mainstream politics.
While it is not yet definitive to say that citizens are more involved in socio-political activities in this era, social movements have primarily impacted democratic decision-making and approach to governance in American society. For instance, the American Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panthers, the Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo movements, and other social movements have changed American society’s political and social settings since the 20th Century. The Black Lives Matter movement in the United States advocates for the civil and human rights of the black community. Scholars agree that the country is experiencing a new social movement whose popularity can be attributed to online social media platforms (Clayton, 2018). The Black Lives Matter movement has managed to gain the entire nation’s attention, a vital step in all social struggle movements. This paper argues that social movements can achieve significant success and trigger social and civil changes and reforms in society. Additionally, about the Black Lives Matter movement, it is possible to measure the success of social activism; this paper supports this notion by arguing that Black Lives Matter (BLM) has triggered racial progress and created awareness of racial injustices in American society.
The Success of BLM as a Social Movement
The fundamental playbook of a social movement uses social platforms, such as public forums, the streets, or social media, to create awareness, inform, and essentially stimulate the appropriate actions needed to effect structural changes within the society. In the case of Black Lives Matter (BLM), the movement utilized social media platforms, mainly Twitter and Facebook, to trigger and facilitate mass demonstrations and create social awareness of their cause (Kidd and McIntosh, 2018). The social activism of BLM have, especially in 2020-21, inspired profound social, legal, and cultural changes in progressive ways that appeared to be a pipedream a while ago.
The emergence and increased popularity of social media has given social movements a huge boost. Studies show that Americans are increasingly using social media to engage in political and social activities. Approximately 60 percent of Americans have reported that social media is essential in making leaders and government officials address various societal issues (Kolers, 2016). Additionally, 67 percent of American citizens agree that social media sites have been central in triggering and achieving social changes. The modern-day social movements are different from the civil rights movements of the 1960s because the internet has made it possible to link people easily and fast across long geographical distances. For example, the hashtag #BlacksLivesMatter on social media sites was enough to act as a rallying call to thousands of citizens demanding social justice and an end to institutionalized racism and discrimination. The success of BLM surpasses individual activism; it is one of the most influential social movements of the 21st Century that has worked to create awareness and highlight racial and social inequities and injustices (Taylor, 2016).
Even though social movements can quickly scale up and achieve their mission without necessarily having the fundamental organizational capacities, they have several vulnerabilities. For instance, social activism is susceptible to boom-bust cycles whereby they are only active for a short while. Such vulnerabilities make it hard for social movements to achieve their long-term objectives and effect social or civil changes in society. In addition, lack of strong and well-defined leadership makes it hard to coordinate activities; lack of cultural foundations and infrastructure makes movements less equipped for effective strategies. BLM stands out from other social movements regarding achieving success because of its strong cultural foundation and strong leadership. BLM has effectively and successfully organized mass demonstrations attended by thousands of protesters without unruly incidents or fatalities.
One of the reasons for the success of BLM is that it has managed to overcome all the vulnerabilities that social movements are prone to. The leadership of BLM has effectively tied their online activism and outreach activities to the form of grassroots organization and action behind the success of traditional social movements (Rickford, 2016). Additionally, BLM has laid out long-term strategies and has taken advantage of profound institutional connections and commitment to community groups, non-profits, labor unions, student groups, and other organizations. Such achievements and successes are a result of years of localized actions and active activism. Fundamentally, the success of BLM as a social movement is anchored on the hybrid structure that has enabled it to create a vibrant model of both offline and online activism with the sole objective of driving structural changes within the society.
Measuring Success of Social Movements
To achieve success, s...