A youth-led organisation called SwitchOff has grown rapidly in several Australian cities. Members claim that constant smartphone use is a form of “social control” that harms attention, relationships and mental health. SwitchOff runs weekend “digital fast” retreats, provides a pledge card for members to permanently delete selected apps, and encourages participants to replace screen time with face-to-face community activities. The group avoids lobbying government and says its goal is to help individuals “take back their lives” rather than change laws.
After several months, a new branch of SwitchOff forms called SwitchOff Policy. This branch argues that individual change is not enough because platform design and data-driven advertising create structural pressures. SwitchOff Policy organises petitions, meets with regulators, and campaigns for restrictions on addictive design features and targeted advertising to minors. Some members of the original SwitchOff argue that this new approach “dilutes the mission” and that true change requires a complete rejection of consumer culture and the economic system that profits from attention.
Assume Aberle’s typology (alternative, redemptive, reformative, revolutionary) is being used to classify the movement(s).
c. Evaluate whether SwitchOff Policy is more accurately described as reformative or revolutionary. In your answer, refer to (i) the movement’s relationship to existing systems and (ii) the scope of social change sought.
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Create Free Account Log inThis is a free VCE Units 3 & 4 Sociology practice question worth 7 marks, testing your understanding of Type of specific movement. It falls under Social movements and social change in Unit 4: Community, social movements and social change. Submit your answer above to receive instant AI-powered marking and personalised feedback.
In this unit, students explore the ways sociologists have thought about the idea of community and how various types of community are experienced. They examine the relationship between social movements and social change, including the nature, purpose, power, and outcomes of social movements.
Students investigate the sociological concept of power, the nature and purpose of social movements, types and stages of social movements, and how power is used by movements and their opposition. They evaluate the influence of social movements on social change, referencing Erica Chenoweth’s work, and analyse a specific social movement in detail.
the social movement as alternative, redemptive, reformative or revolutionary
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