Question

The “Battle of Seattle” in 1999 marked the unofficial start of the anti-globalisation movement. Organising under the radar, this new protest movement bursts onto the scene with tens of thousands taking to the streets and shutting the city down. Protestors criticised the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) as promoting a “race to the bottom” in terms of environmental, human rights and labour standards. The Seattle WTO protests were some of the first major international mobilisations, consisting of groups and networks of activists, to be coordinated via the internet. The protests were reported online with streaming audio and video clips by the Seattle Independent Media Center. While 400,000 people took part in a virtual sit-in of the WTO Web site organised by the

Electrohippies Collective, more than 40,000 protesters (some estimates were as high as 60,000)

were in Seattle to oppose everything from specific WTO policies to free trade and the human rights failures of globalisation. Throughout the week, NGOs also sponsored debates, lectures, and teach-ins. Through a variety of tactics, such as street theatre, sit-ins, chaining themselves together, and locking themselves to metal pipes in strategic locations, the protesters prevented the opening ceremony from taking place. Protesters broke windows and looted the retail outlets of many multinational corporations, such as Starbucks, Bank of America, and Banana Republic. d) Examine the TWO roles of global media in the resistance that took place at the Battle of Seattle. Illustrate each role with an example from the above c

Answer 1

Introduction: -

The anti-globalization movement, describes the fact, that globalization was helpful for a very small part of the total population in reality and the effects were such that the developed world occupied most of the share of resources while the developing and underdeveloped ones were mere facilitators who earned for helping them in the process.

The role of media in any protest or movement is evident in today's high paced environment where access to each other has increased. This is what is explained in the case study as follows: -

Two Goals of the Global Media in the Resistance: -

The medias role in the protest is paramount as people can freely express their notions about a movement using the platform. It can contribute towards people receiving knowledge and further mobilization is also possible. These two goals are as described.

(1) Spread of Goals, Agenda and Message: -

The first goal of the global media towards the protest and movement is clear. It was to increase the knowledge among the global community about the protest, its reasons and updates on what was happening. The major reason for success and failure of any global movement is the amount of reach that it gathers among people. If people are interested, the media would stream the cause, current status and updates if any of the protest this would further fuel the same.

Example: -

"The protests were reported online" give us a broad idea that the content was widely shared online. Further, NGO sponsored campaigns also allowed the message to spread across the globe and gained momentum.

(2) Provide a common platform for protest: -

The second and important role which the media played was in providing a common platform to people for raising their voices. It served as a medium in which people could accumulate and protest globalization. The fact that webinars were held, and 400,000 people participated in virtual demonstrations against the WTO highlight the role played by the media in providing a common platform to people in which protest was possible.

Please feel free to ask your doubts in the comments section if any.