Among young people this concept has long been known, although it has existed for only a dozen years. But the representatives of the older generation do not always understand what is actually being discussed. So flashmob - what is it?
A bit of history
“Flash mob” is an English word, or rather, a combination of words: “flash” - “lightning, flash, instant” and “mob” - “group of people, company, crowd”. Actually, for the first time, these two concepts were combined - “instant” and “crowd” - American science fiction writer Larry Niven, who created in the 70s of the XX century a story about cheap teleportation in the future. True, his term sounded like "flash crowd."
In 2002, the book of the American sociologist Howard Reingold was published, which predicted that in the 21st century people would unite to hold mass actions, using the growing capabilities of information technology. Such structured, culturally behaving groups are called “smart mob” - “smart crowd”. But what about a flash mob?
What it is?
Today, these terms are understood as a mass action in which a group of people often unfamiliar take part. They gather in the appointed place, behave in a certain way for a given period of time, and then quickly (instantly) disperse, as if dissolved in a crowd of spectators, as if nothing had happened.
Flash mobs are organized via electronic communications such as cell phones or the Internet. Participants, called mobbers, post news about the place, time and topics of the upcoming event on blogs, on the pages of social networks or on a specially created website. Sometimes, electronic mailing or SMS messages are also used.
Pioneers
The official date of birth of the flash mob is June 17, 2003. On this day, about one and a half hundred people gathered near an expensive carpet in the largest department store in the world - Macy's in New York - and explained to sellers that they lived in the commune on the outskirts of the metropolis, in a warehouse, and would like to purchase a “Carpet of Love”.
The success of the project was so high that, like a tsunami, it swept across America, Europe and other continents. The mobbers applauded for 15 seconds in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel and introduced themselves as tourists in a shoe store in Soho. The organizer of the first American stock was the editor-in-chief of Harper's magazine, Bill Wozick. He considered them a fun action, making fun of party-goers. However, the flash mob began its victorious march around the planet.
The first European action took place on July 24 of the same year in Rome. Three hundred people gathered in a bookstore, demanding sellers of books with nonexistent titles. The first flash mobs in Russia and Ukraine took place on August 16, 2003.
Predecessors
But is this a new phenomenon - a flash mob? What is it - a sign of the 21st century or a well-forgotten old? Experts believe that similar actions took place before: organized groups of people rode without pants in the subway, gathered from different regions of the country for a bike ride, instantly “froze” at the New York station, froze in various poses. However, only these days, a flash mob has become a truly massive action. For example, in one of the actions in Chicago in 2009, more than 20 thousand people took part. Today, the terminology and rules of this movement have been developed, its name has firmly settled in the academic editions of dictionaries and the media.
goal
The purpose of each stock depends on its type. Usually they are organized for the spontaneous entertainment of participants and the bewilderment of passers-by: people dance in large numbers, sing, lie on the floor of supermarkets, dress up in costumes, hug passers-by, participate in pillow battles, freeze, looking up at the sky, launch Chinese lanterns. But some shares are held for political or commercial purposes.
The best flash mobs are absurd, mysterious, look spontaneous, lead random viewers to confusion and even shock. Watch the wonderful movie “Step Forward 4”. This is not just great mass dancing. The picture will show you a real flash mob: what it is, how it is organized and what consequences it can have.