Activism

Activism is the process by which groups of people exert pressure on organizations or other institutions to change polices, practices, or conditions that the activists find problematic. Activism has generally been seen as one of the catalysts for the growth of the public relations profession, because some of the most significant periods of development in the field have featured high levels of activism. More recently, public relations has been seen as necessary for activist organizations both to make their case and to sustain their organizations. Activists generally practice public relations “from the bottom up,” using the strategies and tactics of the field to achieve goals that are not that dissimilar from those of other, more institutionalized organizations.

Activism generally arises when members of a public perceive some problematic situation. Sociological explanations of activism typically identify major social divisions, such as race, gender, or economic differences, as the preconditions for activism. This view also privileges ideological motivations for activists, that is, the position that those who engage in activism are driven by political, religious, or economic ideology. This has led to the common perception that most activists are radical reformers, when, in fact, activists come in all ideological stripes and may actually seek to resist social change. Although it is true that many activist organizations are ideological, not every activist public is driven by ideology. From a public relations standpoint, problematic situations arise when people perceive some adverse impact of an institution's actions or policies. For example, when an organization appears to be responsible for something that harms the public, activists call for some corrective action. Whereas some activists are motivated by ideology, others are simply reacting to what they interpret as impositions from organizations. For example, the NIMBY (“not in my back yard”) phenomenon often pits otherwise docile community members against organizations that they see as creating problems in their communities. The resistance to the construction of a new Wal-Mart store in a particular area seems grounded more in the perceived impact that the store would have on older businesses than in any anticapitalist harangue.

Activists share many of the traits that James E. Grunig and Todd Hunt have identified as characteristics of active publics. Activists recognize some problem and feel empowered to take some action, to seek information, and to communicate with each other and with the institution they deem responsible for the problem, and are likely to organize to address that problem.

Activism has been one of the catalysts for the development of public relations throughout the field's history. During what is generally seen as the period of the field's inception, activism played an important role. In the late 19th century, progressive and populist groups in the United States sought to limit the power and scope of monopolistic organizations. The press, partially prompted by activists, sought to reveal problematic conditions caused by corporate practices. Groups seeking fair and safe treatment for workers, the vote for women, sanitary practices in food and drug production, and other social goals pressured organizations through either direct confrontation or increased government regulation. In response, corporations hired the first public relations counselors or established departments designed to tell the organization's story. Ivy Lee, for example, was hired by the Rockefeller family to help craft responses to labor activism.

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