A social movement is a consolidated group of individuals who are engaging in the same activity or working towards a similar objective. Most social movements are aimed at creating change in the society by every once in a while, they might have a contrasting aim. Social change more often than not is brought about by social movements. Good examples of such social movements in the 21 st century are the anti- smoking and anti-obesity, which aim to increase the quality of life in the society, one through healthy eating habits and the other through abstaining from tobacco among other smoked substances which are harmful to the body (Selekman, 2019). Social movements should purpose to reevaluate their goals and objectives if they are not making any significant change in the society, or they face the risk of disbanding ( Banaszak, 1996).
The anti-smoking social movement in the present day is facing tremendous challenges of establishing a society that does not smoke. The number of teenagers using e-cigarettes has steadily escalated in recent years at an alarming rate. E-cigarettes are a new product in the market but a product that has been there for more than ten years. However, the new trend by teenagers is alarming. A survey conducted in the U.S in 2017 showed that more than 2.1 million adolescents in both high school and middle school used e-cigarettes or it is commonly referred to as vaping ( Miech, Patrick, O'malley & Johnston, 2017). This number by far exceeded the number of all the other users using tobacco products. This e-cigarette devices with chargeable ports, were first introduced in the market to help tobacco addicts stop smoking. Unfortunately, today these aids to stop smoking have become popular for other purposes, like vaping (Selekman, 2019).
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Some doctors claim that the popularity in the use of e-cigarettes for vaping should be attributed to the advertising and packaging strategies used “teenagers are drawn to innovations and the sleek design and easy usage attracts them.” The vaping manufacturers have insistently denied claims of their marketing being targeted on young adults, despite some of their adverts clearly showing animated characters who are less than 21 years old. Their adverts make the impression that after vaping one becomes happy and there is an elevation in the social status of an individual. their package is as exquisite and appealing as that of the apple products which makes it hard for many teenagers to resist ( Abafalvi et al, 2019). The movement of vaping has gained immense popularity and usage due to the fact that many teenagers believe that it is fashionable. Some teens claim that “Vaping is considered cool in my group of friends,” which is why they ended up doing it too. Some adolescents are fascinated by the idea of vaping because it is something they are not supposed to be doing. There is a certain thrill associated with the adrenaline rush of doing something while being wary that you might be caught. The main challenge associated with adolescence and teenage is acceptability or being the outcast. Many teenagers will gladly engage in vaping at the mere chance that their colleagues will accept them and they will seamless fit into the various cliques ( Abafalvi et al, 2019).
Despite the successes experienced by many social movements over time, many of them often result in declining as the last stage. The main factors that often lead movements to fail are authoritarianism, co-selecting, failure in the structure of the movement and mainstream formation of the system in society. When the leadership in any social movement is similar to dictatorship or the members feel suppressed, the movement is very likely to collapse. This often leads to members opting to join other social movements that they feel best suits their needs or concerns. When the members of any movement lose confidence in their leadership co-opt, the entire structure of the movement is most definitely bound to collapse. Despite the success accomplished by many social movements during their initial years, at some point there is always a probability that it might fail ( Banaszak, 1996).
Any systematized group of individuals needs to have someone in charge to direct, so that the others can follow. Leadership is an integral part of any social movement and it plays a crucial role in determining whether the movement succeeds or fails. Often in a movement, a small portion of people start getting closer to each other due to their opinions or perceptions, and if not managed they tend to divulge from the main objective of the movement and become absorbed in their small group’s agenda. This small group will often lack respect and empathy for the opinions of other members in the group. The leadership in any movements needs to be in a position to not only keep the movement intact but also to ensure that the needs of each and every member are put into consideration. Having an organizational structure for the movement is essential but alone it is not enough to mobilize the movement. Structure has to be implemented hand in hand with other essential guiding principles in order for success to be attained. A movement leader needs to be competent in stating the or providing illustrations of how actions should be performed, directing the performance of those actions, identifying underlying problems, proposing solutions to identified problems among others. Creating a conducive environment where everyone feels that they are participating and incorporating advanced features that help in creating a collective behavior ( Banaszak, 1996).
References
Banaszak, L.A. (1996). Why Movements Succeed or Fail: Opportunity, Culture, and the Struggle for Woman Suffrage . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Miech, R., Patrick, M. E., O'malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. D. (2017). What are kids vaping? Results from a national survey of US adolescents. Tobacco control , 26 (4), 386-391.
Abafalvi, L., Pénzes, M., Urbán, R., Foley, K. L., Kaán, R., Kispélyi, B., & Hermann, P. (2019). Perceived health effects of vaping among Hungarian adult e-cigarette-only and dual users: a cross-sectional internet survey. BMC public health , 19 (1), 302.
Selekman, J. (2019). Vaping: It's All a Smokescreen. Pediatric Nursing , 45 (1).
