Human Rights and Social Movements in the 21st Century

Sereen Qurban 2005150

King Abdulaziz University

Prepared for Ms. Zainab Nofal

23/11/2020
 Abstract
Social Movements are defined as an organized effort by a large number of people to
bring about change. The social media age and the 21st century are pivotal years in terms
of changing the form that special interest groups take. This research aims to determine
the advancements made within human rights and social movements during the 21st
century. Social movements, although effective in the past, face many criticisms of
efficiency in todays’ world. In order to study the effects of social movements, a survey
containing 14 questions, in Arabic and English, was created on Google forms and
received 254 responses through distribution on social media platforms Snapchat, and
WhatsApp. The collected data was then analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The findings
indicated that most people in Saudi Arabia are knowledgeable regarding movements,
and think that social media has made a difference in awareness about human rights
and social movements, which further emphasizes importance of social media and how it
has aided in the spread of knowledge and awareness. However, the respondents either
rarely or never use social media to discuss political issues or movements. The survey
also concluded that a majority believe that movements persuade politicians to make
changes in policy. The research aids in bridging the gap of research performed
regarding the influence of Western-led movements in the Middle East and allows for
more in-depth future exploration. The limitations of this research were the lack of
reliable data on the global influence of Western-led movements and ideals. In addition,
the neutrality of participants in many of the survey questions, provided limited data to
form, or support any conclusions. Lastly, for future research it is suggested that an
expert in politics should be contacted, as well as formulating more relevant questions
that contribute to the body of work.

Index words
Conclusion

This research offered a comprehensive dissection of the social movements in the 21st
century, which included outlining the prevalent groups, discussing the effects on
politics, and lastly, the influence of Western ideals on the middle east. Therefore, the
research concluded that social media has aided in the spread of knowledge and increase
in the amount of active action groups. Also, it was found that while most respondents
believe that social movements are effective in persuading politicians, the sources could
not unanimously support the claim. Lastly, the research found a significant influence of
western led movements by performing a case-by-case analyses. There was a lack of
suitable data regarding the influence of Western ideals in the Middle East, as well as
globally. In the future, more research should be done on the topic, and this research
aids in narrowing the gap of knowledge. As the turbulent 2020 comes to a close, the
active social movements need to re-examine the way their respective movements are
being conducted and transition into more effective methods of protest that don’t include
street protesting.