The Logic Of Connective Action By Lance Bennett: Book Review

In the 21st century, politics, much like every other aspect of life, has been changed as a result of the technologies that surround us. The advent of social media helped people communicate more quickly to a wider audience, allowing them to connect with others with similar views more efficiently. In his book, The Logic of Connective Action, Lance Bennett describes how this phenomenon helped create a new political system.
Bennett (2013) describes how globalization has greatly impacted the world of the 21st century, especially in terms of politics. On one hand, the world has become more connected, allowing information to flow quickly and freely over long distances. On the other, rising economic inequality has led to distrust of traditionally established organizations, leading people to seek out more …show more content…
Organizationally-enabled networks have the advantage, as they can more easily control the crowd. Leaders can set rules and organize the event so that there are few problems. If they know there will be other groups, they can talk with the leaders of the other group to work out a schedule. A crowd-enabled network doesn’t have the same control over their protests. As a result, it’s even more important to focus on the cause they are advocating for and be cautious to not project a chaotic movement.
Bennett reminds us that while there are many differences between the connective action and the collective action approach, both tend to support the other. For most organizations, collective action still tends to be the path they take for their protests, but due to social media and personalization, people are able to connect with others and form a connective action network. It’s critical for these protest networks to remain stable, especially when considering connective action networks partnering with organizations, as unorganized networks could lead to chaos for