Movement Identities

Melissa Wall

Assistant Professor

California State University - Northridge

The Battle in Seattle: Constructing Movement Identities. International Association for Media and Communication Research conference, To be presented in Barcelona, July 21-26, 2002.

In the late fall of 1999 a new global social movement came into prominence when protesters from around the world shut down the World Trade Organization ministerial in Seattle. This paper examines the construction of mediated movement identities created by the movement itself as well as by mainstream media during this event. Three videos created immediately in the aftermath of the demonstrations are analyzed: One by the Independent Media Center, one by an anarchist-affiliated activist group and one by a corporately controlled mainstream Seattle station.

The paper draws on New Social Movement theory arguments that identity creation is a crucial component in establishing a new set of cultural codes and a new discourse which in turn become a means of achieving structural change. The research questions asked here are: How do movement media construct movement identities? How does this construction differ from mainstream media? If, as NSM theory argues, such movements are not as tied to a physical space or particular organization as movements were previously, then from what characteristics are their mediated identities constructed? Textual analysis is used to examine the videos.

Findings suggest that those groups whose membership is based on gaining material resources (i.e. "old" social movements such as labor) were able to create salient identities; this partly contradicts NSM writings, which suggest such groups are less relevant than new identity organizations that seek mainly to mobilize information and knowledge. At least in terms of media representations, that was not always the case here. For groups falling under the NSM rubric, their choice of tactics appeared to shape their identity, while for older movement actors, organizational affiliation and issues seemed to play a greater role.