This is an updated PDF version (with the typos removed) of the PowerPoint for Patrick McNabb’s final project in Dr. Pamela Rutledge's MSC 551 Intro to Media Psychology class, Fielding Graduate University, Fall 2011.
The original slideshow and the companion paper that it was based on collectively received an A+ from Dr. Rutledge, with an A overall received for the class.
Arc 211 american diversity and design- joseph panella
V.2 mc nabb patrick final project (media) intro to media psych fall 2011 their footprint remains
1. “…a footprint remains.”
OccupyWallSt.org as a Prosocial Demonstration of
Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
Patrick E. McNabb
Fielding Graduate University
Final Project (Media)
MSC-551 Introduction to
Media Psychology and Social Change
Fall 2011
2. Abstract
Where Morse wrote “What hath God wrought?” at
the inauguration of the telegraph, media
psychologists and social historians might someday
be writing “What hath Bandura wrought?’ in
reference to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Although not directly responsible for the activity at
Zuccotti Park and its related actions around the
World, the tenets of Bandura’s social cognitive
theory have found ready vehicles for prosocial action
and expression in the ongoing movement.
3. Abstract
One vehicle, Occupy Wall Street’s flagship website
(http://occupywallst.org) provides a living
demonstration of Bandura’s ideas in action.
In the following slideshow the author discusses what
Occupy Wall Street is, the transmedia nature of the
website, and how social cognitive theory, in
particular the concepts of collective efficacy and
social modeling, are manifested in it.
To paraphrase songwriter Gil Scott Heron, the
revolution may not be televised but it is being
webcast.
5. Introduction
On November 21, 2011, in what turned out to be a premature obituary
for the Occupy Wall Street movement (OWS) entitled “A Movement, A
Question: What Now?” New York Times columnist David Carr wrote:
“After last week's dead-of-night operation in New York to break up the
protest site in Zuccotti Park, and similar actions in other cities, it is
inevitable that Occupy Wall Street will eventually become more of an
idea than a place.” (para. 1)
6. Introduction
He ended with a caveat though –
“If the coming election ends up being framed in terms of ''fairness,''
the people who took to the streets, battled the police and sat through
those endless general assembly meetings will know
that even though their tents are gone,
their footprint remains.”(para. 18).
7. Introduction
Occupy Wall Street’s “footprint” remains online where it has always
been at occupywallst.org.
As Bandura (2002), the great
prophet of collective efficacy,
foresaw, “The internet
technology is changing social
and political processes. It
provides vast opportunities to
participate directly in
sociopolitical matters of
concern, and a ready vehicle
for mobilizing grass-roots
activity to promote desired
changes in social practices
and policies.” (p. 10)
9. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
You can’t talk about the OWS
website without talking about
the Occupy Wall Street
movement.
The story of OWS is a classic
narrative of Us against Them,
David vs. Goliath, but in this
case “Goliath” is the 1% of the
wealthiest Americans (and by
extension the World) who
lord their power and influence
over the rest of the
population, the 99% (aka
David), and are blamed for
the recent economic
meltdown that has left many
in the 99% without jobs,
homes, and hope.
10. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
As the “About” section of
occupywallst.org, notes,
“The movement is inspired
by popular uprisings in
Egypt and Tunisia, and
aims to fight back against
the richest 1% of people that
are writing the rules of an
unfair global economy that
is foreclosing on our
future.”
11. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
It’s a cognitive distinction that
Bandura would recognize.
Referring to the “triadic
reciprocal causation” aspect of
his social cognitive theory, he
notes that, “In this
transactional view of self and
society, personal factors in the
form of cognitive, affective,
and biological events,
behavioral patterns, and
environmental events all
operate as interacting
determinants that influence
each other bidirectionally ….”
(Bandura, 2001, pp. 265-266).
12. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
All is not lost, however.
Where David had his sling
and stones, the 99% have the
Internet and social media.
Referring to the “Arab Spring”
protests that have led to
revolutions across the Middle
East in the past year,
journalist John Boudreau
noted in the November 2,
2011 edition of the San Jose
Mercury News that,
“The revolution is being
tweeted …American activists
are using the same Internet
tools that Arabs used to
challenge oppressive
governments…” (para.1, 14).
13. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
In the case of OWS the
revolution began with a
prompt from the Canadian
prosocial website
Adbusters.org.
“The first apparent mention
was that July 13 blog post by
activist group Adbusters …
urging people to
#OccupyWallStreet, as
though such a thing (Twitter
hashtag and all) were
possible.” (Berkowitz, 2011,
para. 5, 1)
14. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
According to Berkowitz
(2011), Adbuster’s prompt
didn’t catch immediately,
but by September 17 enough
momentum had built across
the Web that an actual
occupation materialized at
Zuccotti Park, New York City
on Constitution Day,
September 17, 2011
(see also Greene, 2011).
15. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
Boudreau (2011), quoting
Eugene Sherill, “a member of
the tech committee at
Occupy San Jose”, notes,
"If it were not for Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, email, this
would have been squashed
on Wall Street, …Without the
open public media, this
movement wouldn't have
gone national and global. It
can't be slowed by big
corporate media." (para. 13).
16. What is
“Occupy Wall
Street”?
Bandura (2001), anticipates
this phenomenon when he
notes that:
“Social cognitive theory is
founded in an agentic
perspective (Bandura, 1986,
2001b). … personal agency
operates within a broad
network of sociostructural
influences. In these agentic
transactions, people are
producers as well as products
of social systems. Personal
agency and social structure
operate as codeterminants in
an integrated causal structure
rather than as a disembodied
duality.” (p. 266)
18. The Transmedia and
Convergent Nature of
occupywallst.org
Jenkins (2006) defines
transmedia storytelling as,
“Stories that unfold across
multiple media platforms,
with each medium making
distinctive contributions to
our understanding of the
world, a more integrated
approach to franchise
development than models
based on urtexts and
ancillary products.” (p. 334)
19. The Transmedia and
Convergent Nature of
occupywallst.org
By its very nature
occupywallst.org is an example
of a transmedia phenomenon
because it concurrently utilizes
multiple media and media
technology platforms to spread
its message across textual,
audio, and visual channels,
including Reddit, Twitter,
Facebook, RSS feeds, blogs,
video feeds, chat forums, and
email, among others.
The web page is just one of the
collecting points, but it is a
portal and a central rallying
place where the different
media can meet and be
subsequently consumed,
inputted, and/or re-
transmitted. In other words,
they “converge”.
20. The Transmedia and
Convergent Nature of
occupywallst.org
As Jenkins (2006) notes:
“…media convergence refers
to a situation in which
multiple media systems
coexist and where media
content flows fluidly across
them.” (p. 322)
He adds: “Convergence is
understood here as an
ongoing process or series of
intersections between
different media systems, not
a fixed relationship.”
(Jenkins, 2006, p. 322)
21. The Transmedia and
Convergent Nature of
occupywallst.org
Another advantage to taking
a transmedia and convergent
approach is that not only can
the message get through via
different technological
channels to the information-
consumer (and potential
activist or supporter) but it
can also get into different
areas of their brain as well.
22. The Transmedia and
Convergent Nature of
occupywallst.org
As Weinschenk (2009)
notes, much of our decision
making and the way we are
influenced occurs outside of
our conscious awareness, in
the older “unconscious”
parts of the brain, and an
effective website must
respond to that.
Weinschenk (2009)
comments, “To get us to
click, they have to persuade
us. … We want to think that
we are making logical
decisions, even though we
aren’t. The most effective
Web sites are Web sites that
talk to all three brains.”
(p. 13)
24. The Method
behind the Media
The transmedia and
convergent nature of the
Occupy Wall Street
movement are one of the
hallmarks of why it has been
so successful.
Berkowitz (2011), quoting
futurist Paul Saffo, observes,
“In the 1960s, "The tools of
social protest were
mimeograph machines and
postage stamps …Now it's
cyberspace. You have the
exponential growth of the
World Wide Web and social
media and velocity … as
things move much more
quickly” (para. 9).
25. The Method
behind the Media
However, as Darth Vader,
the black suited anti-hero of
another media phenomenon
that Jenkins (2006) cites as
an excellent example of
transmedia, cautions,
“Don't be too proud of this
technological terror you've
constructed …”
The technology of media can
only get you so far – it has to
be used correctly to be
effective.
26. The Method
behind the Media
As Jenkins (2006)
comments,
“Delivery systems are simply
and only technologies;
media are also cultural
systems. Delivery
technologies come and go all
the time, but media persist
as layers within an ever more
complicated information and
entertainment stratum.”
(p.4)
27. The Method behind the Media:
Social Cognitive Theory
So what is the method behind the media that makes occupywallst.org
(and, by extension, the movement) so effective?
And how can you measure that effectiveness?
Bandura and his social cognitive theory, in particular his concepts of
collective efficacy and social modeling,
can provide an explanation.
28. Social Cognitive
Theory
Snyder, Lopez, and Pedrotti
(2011) define
social cognitive theory as :
“A theory suggesting that
people’s self-efficacy
(confidence in their abilities)
influences their actions and
thoughts in such a way that
they shape their
environments.”
(p. 203-204).
29. Social Cognitive
Theory
Bandura (2001) provides
a more technical
definition:
“Social cognitive theory
provides an agentic
conceptual framework
within which to analyze
the determinants and
psychosocial mechanisms
through which symbolic
communication
influences human
thought, affect and
action.” (p. 265)
30. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
“Collective efficacy” is a group
form of what Bandura calls
“personal efficacy”. To
understand collective efficacy
you have to define what
personal efficacy is first.
According to Snyder et al.
(2011):
”Bandura (1997, p. vii) defined
self efficacy as “peoples’ beliefs
in their capabilities to produce
desired effects by their own
action.” Similarly, Maddux
(2009a, p. 336) has described
self efficacy as “what I believe I
can do with my skills under
certain conditions.” (p. 168)
31. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
Bandura (2004) himself
adds,
“Efforts at social change
typically challenge power
relations and entrenched
societal practices.
Successes do not come
easy. To change their
lives for the better,
people have to struggle
against dated traditions
and normative
constraints.” (p. 80)
32. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
One of the signature
elements of OWS that
helps them to foster,
maintain, and
encourage collective
efficacy in their
groups and self
efficacy for the
individual members
is the way they
organize themselves
both offline and
online.
33. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
For example, OWS
does not employ the
top – down vertical
structure with a
leader on top and the
followers below that
is typical of other
groups. In fact, it is a
movement purposely
comprised of people
organized
horizontally, with no
single leader pulling
the strings.
34. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
And it works.
Berkowitz (2011) adds:
“The Occupy movement,
decentralised [sic] and
leaderless, has mobilised
[sic] thousands of people
around the world almost
exclusively via the
internet. To a large
degree through Twitter,
and also with platforms
such as Facebook and
Meetup, crowds have
connected and gathered.”
(para. 3).
35. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
So how can
such a group be
organized and
controlled in a
productive
fashion without
falling into
mobocracy?
36. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
On the ground, Occupy
Wall Street uses a
concept called the
“General Assembly”, a
form of pure (or “direct”
as the website puts it)
democracy where
everyone gets a vote.
Online, they use tools
such as the website to
host virtual versions of
the same groups they
have created offline.
37. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
On the website, or linked
to it, Occupy Wall Street
uses social media tools to
create, foster, and
maintain what Jenkins
(2006) would recognize as
“knowledge communities”.
“Knowledge communities
form around mutual
intellectual interests; their
members work together to
forge new knowledge often
in realms where no
traditional expertise exists
…” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 20).
38. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
And online knowledge
communities need not be
social, although they do
need the technology of
social media to work.
As Giles (2010)
points out,
“Many online
communities have been
developed whose
primary goal is not social
but informational …”
(p. 170).
39. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Collective Efficacy
These practices are entirely in
keeping with Bandura’s social
cognitive theory. He notes:
“Social cognitive theory
extends the conception of
human agency to collective
agency. People’s shared
beliefs in their collective
power to produce desired
results are a key ingredient of
collective agency. A group’s
attainments are the product
not only of shared knowledge
and the skills of its different
members, but also of the
interactive, coordinative, and
synergistic dynamics of their
transactions.” (Bandura,
2000, pp. 75-76).
40. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
In describing social modeling,
Bandura (2004) notes:
“Modeling influences serve
diverse functions in promoting
personal and social change
(Bandura, 1986, 1997). They
include instructive,
motivational, social prompting,
and social construction
functions. With regard to the
instructive function, models
serve as transmitters of
knowledge, values, cognitive
skills, and new styles of
behavior. Observers also acquire
emotional proclivities toward
people, places, and objects
through modeled emotional
experiences.” (p. 78)
41. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
One of the signature
elements of Occupy
Wall Street, and a
measurement of its
success, is that it can
be (and frequently is)
replicated elsewhere
in other communities,
both physical and
and/or topical
42. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
To do this the movement
engages in social
modeling, with the
flagship website
occupywallst.org serving
as both a prototype,
example and cultivator of
what in effect has turned
out to be kind of a
prosocial activist
franchise. While the
groups are not directly
related to each other, a
kind of horizontal
confederacy exists
between them (in keeping
with the local
organizational structure
discussed earlier) where
each group controls itself
locally.
43. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
In addition, in an
example of what could
also be categorized
under the collective
efficacy discussed above,
the different franchises
frequently collaborate
together using social
media, sharing
resources, especially
information, and moral
support.
44. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
The practical nature of
the social modeling
practiced by the Occupy
Wall Street site is in is in
keeping with the
precepts of Bandura’s
theory, all the more so
because the modeling
occurs “vicariously”
online while the
receiving Occupy groups
can be located around
the World.
45. Social Cognitive
Theory :
Social Modeling
As Bandura (2002), notes
“… their [peoples’]
conceptions of social reality
are greatly influenced by
vicarious experiences – what
they see, hear, and read in the
mass media – without direct
experiential correctives.”
(p. 12).
He adds: “To a large extent,
people act on their images of
reality. The more people’s
images of reality depend upon
the media’s symbolic
environment, the greater is its
social impact (S. Ball-Rokeach
& DeFleur, 1976).” (Bandura,
2001, p. 271).
46. Measuring the Effect of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
So how do you measure the effectiveness of a
movement like Occupy Wall Street and a
website like occupywallst.org?
47. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
Bandura (2000) offers
the following advice.
There are two main
approaches to the
measurement of a
group’s perceived
efficacy:
48. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
The first method
aggregates the individual
members’ appraisals of
their personal
capabilities to execute
the particular functions
they perform in the
group.
49. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
The second
method aggregates
members’
appraisals of their
group’s capability
operating as a
whole. The latter
holistic appraisal
encompasses the
coordinative and
interactive aspects
operating with-in
groups. (p. 76)
50. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
At the time of this writing
the author of this media
project was not able to
come across many reliable
quantitative facts and
figures regarding OWS
and the website, perhaps
because of the
decentralized nature of the
movement or because it is
still so new .
(Not that the author didn’t try -
255 separate LiveStream
channels were hand-counted as
of 12/17/11 at
occupystreams.org/ where OWS
showcases its links to its
LiveStream videos.)
51. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
The following
qualitative anecdotes,
from a New York
Times article entitled
simply “Occupy Wall
Street” (12/14/2011),
are more in keeping
with Bandura’s advice:
52. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
“Three weeks into the
protest, similar
demonstrations spread to
dozens of other cities across
the country, including Los
Angeles, San Francisco,
Chicago and Boston. In
October, demonstrations in
emulation of Occupy Wall
Street were held in Europe,
Asia and the Americas,
drawing crowds in the
hundreds and the
thousands.” (para. 6-7)
53. Measuring the Effect
of Occupy Wall Street
and occupywallst.org
In other words, the “efficacy”,
to use Bandura’s term,
demonstrated by OWS has
literally “moved” people.
And OWS is getting noticed
where it counts – the media:
“… there was a sevenfold
increase in Google searches
for the term “99 percent”
between September and
October and a spike in news
stories about income
inequality throughout the fall,
heaping attention on the
issues raised by activists.”
(para. 17)
55. Conclusion
It remains to be seen what
will come of the Occupy
Wall Street movement, its
website, and what History
will say about it. But it has
already made a difference.
According to the New York
Times (12/14/2011),
“Whatever the long-term
effects of the Occupy
movement, protesters have
succeeded in implanting
“We are the 99 percent,”
referring to the vast
majority of Americans …
into the cultural and
political lexicon.” (para. 15)
56. Conclusion
Bandura (2000) adds:
”People’s success in
shaping their social and
economic lives lies
partly in a shared sense
of efficacy to bring their
collective influence to
bear on matters over
which they can have
some command …. As
globalization reaches
ever deeper into
people’s lives, a
resilient sense of shared
efficacy become critical
to furthering their
common interests.”
(p. 78)
58. References
(Unless otherwise specifically stated, and for the sake of brevity, all direct quotes from “Occupy
Wall Street” were obtained from or through the main OWS website at http://occupywallst.org/ )
Bandura, A. (2000, June). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 9(3), 75-78.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. Media Psychology, 3(3),
265-299. doi:10.1207/S1532785XMEP0303_03
Bandura, A. (2002, March). Growing primacy of human agency in adaptation and change in the
Electronic era. European Psychologist, 7(1), 2-16. doi:10.1027//1016-9040.7.1.2
Bandura, A. (2004). Social cognitive theory for personal and social change by enabling media. In
A. Singhal, M. J. Cody, E. M. Rogers, & M. Sabido (Eds.), Entertainment-education and
social change: history, research, and practice (pp. 75-96).
Berkowitz, B. (2011, October 19). From a single hashtag, a protest circled the world. Brisbane
Times. Retrieved from http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/technology-news/
from-a-single-hashtag-a-protest-circled-the-world-20111019-1m72j.html
59. References
Boudreau, J. (2011, November 2). Occupy Wall Street, brought to you by social media. San Jose
Mercury News (California), breaking; technology; news; business; high-tech; science and tech.
Carr, D. (2011, November 21). A movement, A question: What now? New York Times, section
b, column 0; business/financial desk: the media equation; pg. 1.
Giles, D. (2010). Psychology of the Media. Great Britain: Palgrave MacMillan.
Greene, B. (2011, October 17). How 'Occupy Wall Street' started and spread. USNEWS.com,
politics & policy; washington whispers.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture. New York: New York University Press.
Memorable quotes for Star Wars (1977). (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2011, from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/quotes
Occupy Streams . (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2011, from http://occupystreams.org/
Occupy Wall Street. (2011, December 14). New York Times. Retrieved from
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/o/occupy_wall_street/index
html
60. References
OccupyWallStreet - NYC protest for World revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2011,
from http://occupywallst.org/
Scott-Heron, G. (n.d.). Excerpt from "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." Retrieved
October 1, 2011, from http://quotevadis.com/post/6007217649/the-revolution-will-not-be-
televised?99a83568
Snyder, C. R., Lopez, S. J., & Pedrotti, J. T. (2011). Positive Psychology. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications Inc.
Weinschenk, S. M. (2009). Neuro Web Design. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
61. Media Credits
Unless otherwise noted all other graphics/images/animations/sounds were Microsoft ClipArt or
downloaded from Microsoft Office Online at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/?CTT=97
“Civics” PowerPoint 2007 Slideshow template used (standard template already installed with
software)
Image/Graphics
Adbusters-Occupy Wall Street logo (slides 13, 14, 15)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/blogpost/201
09/Images/adbusters_blog_occupywallst.jpg?uuid=VlAcAvUTEeC3QQDUJ2orTA
Retrieved 12/18/11
“Anonymous together” (slide 37)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Occupy-wall-street-99.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
“brain full color” (slide 21)
http://positivepsychologynews.com/ppnd_wp/wp-
content/uploads/2008/11/brain_000005809739xsmall.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
62. Media Credits
“Darth Vader and technology” (slide 25)
http://tech.mikeshouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Darth-Vader-Meet-the-Maker-
Holiday-2011-Deluxe-Mini-Bust-2-544x345px.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
“Efficacy – Grades” graphic (slide 48)
http://i3.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens7196522module60263182phot_
1254358894Self-Efficacy_Belief_in_Results.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
“From pitchforks to PDAs Protest” graphic (slide 8)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203764804577060062028463068.html#print
Mode
Retrieved 12/14/11
“Egypt – Arab Spring protest” (slide 10)
http://womennewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/015-EGYPT-
CairoUniversityProtest-ImageSarahCarr.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
63. Media Credits
“Lost my job found my occupation” (slide 32)
http://www.businessinsider.com/image/4e9d80b5eab8ead153000023/occupy-wall-streetsign.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
New York Times logo (slide 51)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Retrieved 12/18/11
“Occupied Wall Street Journal” (slide 23)
http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article579230.ece/BINARY/w620/bbc0fb315be545aea46
037ecb1cf1373.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
“Occupy Everywhere” (slide 49)
http://www.reviewon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/occupy-the-world-together-300x292.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11
“Occupy Google” (slide 53)
http://media.salon.com/2011/10/goog-460x307.jpg
Retrieved 12/18/11