Reporter Charles Duhigg speaks about the ability of close bonds to ignite change in his book The Power of Habit.  I find this similar to Epstein and Hallward’s praise of forming relationships with people who’ve had similar experiences.  However, Duhigg actually claims diverse friendships are more important to movements, as he explains while reiterating Rosa Parks’s story.  Her varying “‘strong ties’-firsthand relationships” (Duhigg 89) got Parks enough support to start a bus boycott. In further contrast to previous readings, according to Duhigg, “when the strong ties of friendship and the weak ties of peer pressure merge, they create incredible momentum” (92).  “Weak ties” refer to distant relationships between acquaintances within social groups, and peer pressure arises when people are expected to support these distant relations, or their reputations will suffer; this explains activism’s expansion.  One famous instance of this cited by the selection was when many African-Americans in Montgomery joined the boycott after assuming “everyone was doing it.”  In other words, Duhigg believes although change must begin with close-knit support groups, the perceived need to conform furthers participation.

Though Duhigg utilizes decades-old stories, I believe their points still apply.  Fights for equal rights continue today, and peer pressure appears more prominent than ever in many areas.  I haven’t participated in any movements (though I support equality), but I’ve certainly seen the expansion from “strong” to “weak” ties Duhigg describes, after police brutality incidents, for example.

Besides this present-day relation, another reason I found this article interesting is because I discovered new facts, like how Martin Luther King Jr. himself was roped into supporting the boycott by peer pressure.  I do wonder how much further this peer pressure would have spread if social media existed back then.

My interest in what I’ve read thus far makes me curious about the rest of Duhigg’s activism process, “a movement’s leaders giv[ing] participants new habits…” (87), and I look forward to finishing this passage.

Citations

Duhigg, Charles. “From Civil Rights to Megachurches.” The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. “Emerging.” Edited by Barclay Barrios, 3rd ed., Balford/ St. Martin’s 2016, pg.85-96