Throughout the majority of this story one can hear Gladwell’s disappointed, sarcastic tone ringing through, culminating in his final jab of “Viva la revolucion”. Gladwell is clearly far from impressed with how activism in the modern times is carried out. This is demonstrated through the obvious shift in tone that occurs just after the first couple pages. As you begin the story the author conveys a tone of pride and triumph. You applaud these brave, young people that were willing to place themselves in harm’s way in such a volatile time in our nation’s history. You cheer for them and hope to yourself that you would’ve taken part in the sit-ins if you had the chance. Then, you feel the author switch from this feeling of pride to one of critical questioning and irritation. Gladwell is trying to make the point that there has been a major shift in the way that people approach revolutions and activism these days. Though he does not deny that social media had been beneficial in many ways, he is very critical of those who believe that they are accomplishing the same weight of change that others have accomplished in the past.

Gladwell believes that the weak ties that are established over social media coupled with a lack of hierarchical structures within these groups have seriously inhibited our ability to make effective changes. Gladwell says, “Weak ties seldom lead to high-risk activism” (234). People are not really willing to commit on the level that is needed for significant change to actually occur. He claims that the only reason people participate in the causes are because nobody “asked too much of them” (235). While equal rights and the celebration of the individual are highly prevalent in our culture today, Gladwell point out obvious flaws with this system of networking contrasted with a hierarchical system. He poses the question, “How do you make difficult choices about tactics or strategy or philosophical direction when everyone has an equal say?” (236) Overall, Gladwell is trying to make the point that although social media may affect our culture in a big way, it will not and cannot move people towards  big changes due to inefficiency and  lack of meaningful relationships; not to mention there is often a lack of worthwhile causes to participate in. Gladwell sums up his disapproval in this blunt statement, “We are a long way from the lunch counters of Greensboro (235)”