TECHNOLOGY
From Issue #14
Flash Mobs
Technology and viral crowd creation
by Karen Coyle
You’re in a toy store and suddenly 50 people
simultaneously begin jumping around like frogs, and as
quickly as they had begun, they abruptly stop and
leave. Not a word. Not an explanation. You have just
experienced a flash mob.
In case you haven’t heard, flash mobs are the latest
trend involving dozens of people getting together and
performing wacky, harmless stunts throughout a city in
the name of good, clean fun. According to CNN, the
first flash mob was created by a man named Bill on June
17th, 2003 in New York.
Now it seems most of the
world is joining in, including several Canadian cities.
Toronto’s premiere flash mob involved the frog scene
described above, and after striking the toy store, the
thrill seekers headed off 
to a local fitness centre and
proceeded to do jumping jacks before dispersing and
heading their separate ways.
On August 9, 2003, in Montreal, a large group did
some spontaneous quacking at the Place des Arts for 25
minutes, and then collectively tossed plastic duckies
into the fountain.
On August 21, 2003, Vancouver experienced its first
mob, which was organized by a business owner named Ingrid.
A lot of thought is put into the flash mobs,
which involve strategic planning, timing, and the need
for participants to follow instructions exactly. Approximately
two weeks before the event, Ingrid put her plan
in motion by using Yahoo to find other people interested
in some harmless entertainment. She listed the group
on various other mob related sites and posted it on
other group discussion boards.
By the day of the mob
there were almost 100 people involved. Via e-mail, they
were given very specific instructions. Each person was
to go to a pre-determined meeting spot to receive
instructions from a “mob rep.” They were then told
when and where to meet, and the nature of the mob. At
exactly 5:43pm the mob gathered at a specified corner
in downtown Vancouver and began to do the Twist
while half of the group yelled “Chubby” and the other
half replied with “Checker.” Two minutes later, at precisely
5:45pm it was over.
“I think it’s mostly dependent on new technology,”
says Ingrid about flash mobs. “It’s based on viral marketing.
I send an e-mail to someone in the group, they
forward it to six friends, and their friends forward it,
and so on.”
Everything is planned through electronic
media, such as text messaging, chat rooms, and e-mail.
Once again, technology helps to usher in a whole new
world of real time interaction.
To participate
in a flash mob:
Check your messages,
follow the instructions
EXACTLY, giggle
silently, and leave
without a trace.
Flash Mob photo by Stephan Nyran. Motorola T720 photo provided by Hill & Knowlton.
