Robert Darton’s Statement In Malcolm Gladwell’s Article

Question 1.
Robert Darton’s statement in Malcolm Gladwell’s article faults the misleading assumption that social media and other advanced communication platforms are more effective in mobilizing members of society towards participating in a cause for social change. The advocates for social change in Jelani Cobb’s article such as Garza, for instance, find the early means of communication such as the sermons preached by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement to be ineffective for the current generation. The advocates thus concur with Robert Darnton’s observation as they disregard the influence of past means of communication such as the use of a single spokesperson to mobilize and organize protests for social change.
Question 2.
The limits of protest refer to the factors restricting or challenging their ability to effect the desired change or outcome for a given social group. Online activism, for instance, lacks cohesion and is characteristic of internal leadership disputes. According to Jelani Cobb’s article, Elzie disputes the common assumption portraying Garza, Cullors, and Tometi as the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. Malcolm Gladwell also states that online activism builds around weak social ties and thus lacking the ability to cause long term changes. According to the author social media activism builds around weak social ties and thus cannot challenge the oppressive status quo.
Question 3.
Gladwell defines high-risk activism as activities for social change that are characteristic of potential hazardous effects on the participants including loss of life, bodily harm, and injuries, as well as imprisonment. Cobb’s example of high risk in online activism is the fact that the actions of some participants may contradict the principles of the social change initiative and thus jeopardi...