tdink techie: flash mobs
Art, Activism or Annoyance?

by Mengly Taing

Flash mobs which began in the states in the summer of 2003 have hit mainstream, making it clear that it has become a cultural phenomenon.   Last October, CSI: Miami released an episode called "Murder in a Flash" where a flash mob helped the authorities in a murder case.   U2 made use of a flash mob in January to promote their new album on MTV's mtvJAMMED.   While some people predicted that it was just a passing fad, it seems its days have not yet been met and the tools used to create flash mobs have inspired a new movement in getting people involved outside of their homes.

Flash mobs organize online through email and are defined as sudden large gatherings of people who meet at a predetermined location to perform an action before they disperse.   They leave people thinking "What the hell was that?", but it's just the reaction that mobbers expect to get.

The Mob Project was the beginning of what is known today as the flash mob.   Organized by an anonymous New Yorker named "Bill", the first successful flash mob occurred in the furniture department of a Manhattan Macy's store where 150 people gathered.   The first attempt at a New York Claire's Accessories store was unsuccessful because someone had informed the store beforehand and their plan was foiled by the police.   Since then organizers wait until the last minute to release the location and action of the flash mob.   Their formula is to organize, congregate, act, and disperse in ten minutes or less.