A Volatile Public: The 2009 Whole Foods Boycott on Facebook

The 2009 “Boycott Whole Foods” campaign was born on Facebook in response to criticism by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey of the Obama administration's proposed health-care reforms. The boycott demonstrates volatile collective action through heterogeneous and heterarchic encounters, characterized by the formation of a collective across geographical distance, vibrant interaction across political distance, and temporary presence. These features suggest the possibility of further activism by the middle class on shared ethical issues, and of unintended yet forceful consequences of activism on social media. Despite widespread concern about group polarization in cyberspace, social media also offer a space in which enclaves encounter opponents and subject their ideas to scrutiny.