What Really Matters in Creating Mass Mobilization, Classical Organization or New Social Media? – A Comparative Case Study of the Mass Mobilization Process in France and South Korea

Abstract

<div> This article explores why people adopt different processes to participate in mass mobilizations,</div> <div> using the 2006 Anti-CPE (labor law) Movement in France and the 2008 Candlelight Movement</div> <div> against American Beef Imports in South Korea as case studies. In France, initiators and</div> <div> participants followed the &lsquo;ready-made&rsquo; way: left-wing organizations led the whole process of mass</div> <div> mobilizations. In contrast, in South Korea, initiators came from &lsquo;nowhere&rsquo;: they were middle</div> <div> and high school students without any political organizations; participants were &lsquo;tainted&rsquo; by the</div> <div> left wing political line. The key finding of this study is that the levels of demarcation of political</div> <div> lines in people&rsquo;s everyday life may explain this difference. In France, strong establishment of a</div> <div> political line in people&rsquo;s everyday life brought fewer new actors, creating less surprise but a solid</div> <div> mobilization; in South Koreas, the less-established political line in people&rsquo;s everyday life attracted</div> <div> more new actors, creating more surprise but &lsquo;frivolous&rsquo; mobilizations.</div> <div> Jeong-Im Hyun</div> <div> Center for East Asian Studies, University of Turku</div> <div> WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN CREATING MASS</div> <div> MOBILIZATION, CLASSICAL ORGANIZATION OR</div> <div> NEW SOCIAL MEDIA?</div> <div> A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF THE MASS</div> <div> MOBILIZATION PROCESS IN FRANCE AND SOUTH</div> <div> KOREA</div> <div> Corresponding author:</div> <div> Jeong-Im Hyun, Email: hyunjeongim@hotmail.com</div> <div> Keywords</div> <div> mobilization process, new media, micro-mobilization, meso-mobilization</div>