Social movements and the processes that enable them are an important topic in the study of sociology. From the sociological perspective, collective behavior is usually defined as “social processes and events that do not reflect existing social structure (laws, conventions, and institutions), as they emerge in a ‘spontaneous’ way.” In other words, collective behavior refers to the actions of a large group of people that were not prompted by institutionalized policies. It is important to note that the notion is neither conformant nor deviant, meaning that it usually exists where social norms are absent or contradictory. One example of collective behavior is the growing popularity of an environmentally responsible lifestyle, which includes recycling, peaceful activism, and voting for environmentally-friendly politicians. However, collective behavior does not always have a focus on improvement, and it may also involve the popularization of a particular social media platform or a fashion trend.
The relationship between collective behavior and social change has been widely studied in sociology. Scholars agree that social movements are an essential component of collective behavior. This means that collective behavior can facilitate social change through social movements if the focus of the action is on a specific problem that can be solved through activism. Collective behavior represents a process when a lot of people are familiar with an issue and decide to act a certain way about it, thus achieving positive social change. For example, collective behavior can help to address social inequality, discrimination, poor education, and pollution by changing the public’s behaviors or lifestyle and attracting support from policymakers.