Malcolm Gladwell Small Change Summary

In the discussion of Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted, author Malcolm Gladwell works to prove his firm opinion on social media's effect on social activism. While Gladwell does recognize that social media websites often serve as slight platforms for certain movements, he is clear in his belief that internet activism is a weak form of action. In order to prove his point, Gladwell brings up various moments in history that were crucial toward the push for social justice in our country. One thing that all of these historical acts have in common is that they were very real, person-to-person interactions. As I read this piece, I began to connect Gladwell's recalls of the past to the issues of the present. I thought to myself, is

This is an aspect of social media sites that I see every day, but I have failed to previously recognize. "The platforms of social media are built around weak ties," Gladwell explains, "that’s why you can have a thousand 'friends' on Facebook, as you never could in real life." This statement makes sense to me, as I scroll through these weak ties on social media sites every day. There are always various posts for casting your vote on a petition, and with one simple click, one feels they have voiced their opinion. These polls, as Gladwell says, get people to sign up "by not asking too much of them". However, what these people fail to consider is that this clicking and retweeting does not change anything. These social media "activists" are not the ones creating change, they will not be wrote about in history books. They merely support a cause in the comfort of their own home, behind a screen name. Therefore, these causes are not truly supported, nor effectively acted upon. Gladwell's recognition of the weak ties in social media activism is sadly very

For many young people who should be acting on behalf of their generation's issues, reality and social media have become far too close. Gladwell makes a terrific analogy in order to prove this point, saying "The evangelists of social media...they seem to believe that a Facebook friend is the same as a real friend". The reason that people prefer to repost articles and pictures about a cause, rather than act on it, is because of the low risk while online. This can be compared to how a bully may hide behind a message board instead of involving themselves in real action. This social media activism is completely safe compared to the real activists throughout American history, who risked their lives to defend a cause. "Boycotts and sit-ins and nonviolent confrontations are high risk strategies", Gladwell argues, speaking of the Greensboro lunch counter protests and Martin Luther King Jr.'s marchers. "We are a long way from the lunch counters of Greensboro", Gladwell warns. If this generation could learn to see past the safety behind a computer and stand up in reality for what they believe in, perhaps there could be a change or even a