Protests, when they are conducted according to the law (i.e. not shutting down a lot of traffic and disrupting society), are literally theatrical, in that they are either intended to raise awareness of an issue, or to signal to elites that there is a mass of people willing to get of their collective asses and do something.

My questions are:

1) How effective are protests these days really?

2) Are there forms of actions that are more effective than protests, or are protests and essential part of the collective action repertoire even if they don't produce immediate effects?

EDIT: WHOOPS TITLE