Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Recent research from cognitive social science reveals that early collective behavior theorists had more right than we tend to credit. This may come as a surprise given the rejection of early theories by the emergence of the social movements field and the coinciding rationalist turn. To break free of old ways of thinking, we use cognitive social science to revisit collective behavior theories with a renewed understanding of cognition and emotion. In so doing, we suggest the future of collective behavior is one which utilizes cognitive social science as the foundation from which theories can be rebuilt. We develop this chapter in four parts. First, we review the major approaches to categorizing collective behavior. Following, we trace the history of the major theoretical contributions and perspectives. We then revisit the prematurely dismissed theories in light of recent advances in cognitive social science with an emphasis on emotions, cognition, and action. Finally, we end the chapter with fruitful paths for the future of collective behavior by emphasizing a methodological approach and substantive areas which afford great potential for innovative theorizing.

Canadians are using a variety of social and non-social media vehicles to gather information, share experiences and express anxieties during the COVID-19 confinement period. The purpose of the study is to produce a portrait of media use in Canada, paying special attention to the typical population segments in the Canadian population differentiated by their media vehicles and sources of information about the pandemic. The study used as its data source a survey sample of 4,600 adult Canadians aged 15 years old and over during the period of July 20-26 2020, and collected by Statistics Canada. Media user activities comprised a set of 11 dichotomous scales collecting data on main sources of information such as social media posts, online news, online magazines, video platforms, e-mails as well as non internet-based sources. A market segmentation analysis of these scales using Principal Components and k-means cluster analysis revealed the presence of six major population segments: Social Media Buffs (27%), News Followers (33%), Unplugged (10%),Plugged-In (9%), E-Mailers (7%) and Mixed Source Users (16%). The segment mottos were as follows: "Social Media Influencers Know Their Stuff!", "Track Those Headlines!", "I’ve Got My Own Info Sources About The Pandemic!", "Did You Read The Last Blog?" "My People Know Better!" and "Better Info Means More Choices!". This study suggests that media users in Canada constitute a very diverse group of individuals who are engaged in social and non social media to obtain timely information about the pandemic. However, they can also be exposed to inaccurate, misleading information about the virus, its transmission and its treatments. In this light, market segmentation may be a useful tool for decision makers to categorize population members by their typical attitudinal traits and, by doing so, facilitate better public campaigns directed at population segments, help design messages, and implement changes that can promote more efficient ways to deal with their target audiences.