Use of Video Archives in Research on Social Movements: Considering the Occupy Wall Street Movement(<Special Report>Possibilities for and Challenges of Using Video Archives in Research)

Abstract

Innumerable videos of unknown authorship, source, or even nationality are available online, but the vast majority simply disappear from our memories. Video taken of the Occupy movement launched in September 2011 near Wall Street, however, were uploaded to video sites, drew attention from countries around the world and inspired a larger movement. The agents of that movement (i. e., the leaders, participants and supporters) used a wide range of mass media to achieve a great deal with the movement, by taking strong positions after disseminating their own information to other parties. This research paper will focus on the Wall Street Occupy movement and consider the significance of a wide range of online materials, especially video, that were produced by the research subjects themselves. It will explore what role video materials played in the success of the movement.