Flashmob

The term flash mob (English: Flash mob; flash = Flash, mob [ of mobilis movable ] = incited mob, mob ) refers to a short, seemingly spontaneous crowd on public or semi- public places, where the participants personally do not know and do unusual things. Flash mobs are a special form of the virtual society ( virtual community, online community ), the new media such as mobile phones and Internet use to organize collective direct action.

Although the original idea was apolitical, there are now designated as a flash mob actions with political or economic background. For such targeted actions frequently the term " smart mob " will be used.

Expiration

First, a call from an originator is captured and disseminated via online communities, blogs, newsgroups, e- mail chain letters or by mobile phone. Here, a public place is always specified as a meeting place and an exact time. In most cases, information on the action itself and possibly bring between objects or to wear clothes be specified. If the exact action is not known, the participants first meet at the agreed place for the necessary arrangements.

Then the mob will start by the fact that someone starts at the time agreed with the agreed action and enter the other participants quickly. This out of nowhere like lightning resulting formation of the mob and the identical actions of the people in the mob (eg applaud, calling with the same substantive texts), are typical of flash mobs. For the ignorant passers-by of the flash mob is completely surprising and activity appears mostly meaningless and empty.

The flash mob is terminated by an agreed signal, a time achieved, or the natural end of the action ( for example, when joint singing of O Holy Night in the summer after the last stanza ). As quickly as the people have come together, their group triggers before the eyes of the often bewildered audience on again.

History

An early literary example that describes the idea of ​​flash mobs, can be found in Erich Kästner's Emil and the Detectives. In the novel, from 1929, the protagonist, aided by his friends, a thief. Here, a children's mob is placed on the legs of a self-organized news service that drives the offender into a corner and prevented from escaping.

Already in the 1960s were known to be as spontaneous form of action, the -ins. The project "Zebra pedestrian theater " the Dutchman Will Spoor early nineties can be considered as an early forerunner of the real flash mobs. Spoor recruited (via leaflets, telephone chains, etc. ) on the performer each spot in the city, in the pedestrian toured the theater. Together unannounced performances in public space were rehearsed and performed the recall of concept and appeal strongly to today's flash mobs. Also in the early 1990s, first Critical Masses were organized seemingly spontaneous bike demonstrations.

As an early futile (and thus distinguishable from the Smart Mob ) Flashmob applies an action of the journalist Bill Wasik on 3 June 2003 in New York. More than a hundred participants gathered in a department store to a carpet. Department store employees, they stated that they were looking for a " love rug ", and purchasing decisions träfen always shared. Then an even larger group gathered in a hotel lobby and applauded for exactly 15 seconds, finally, the participants flowed into a shoe store and went out of there as tourists. Bill Wasik has expressed in an article in March 2006, his intention was to show hip people who only aspired in an atmosphere of conformity to be part of the " next big thing " no matter how useful this is free.

The joy of the mindless actions and public attention quickly led to imitations without ironic background. Soon after, spilled over a flash mob wave from the U.S. to Europe, where there were 2003 first actions in Zurich, Rome and Vienna at the end of July. The phenomenon gained great media attention for a few months until the fall of 2003 decreased interest.

In the summer of 2007 the idea was revived, initially by organizations that want to draw attention to actions to societal goals. With new reports in the media was also inspired back to pure fun actions.

" Flash mob actions" were used by the trade union Verdi targeted for occupation and blockade of shops in collective disputes in the retail sector. A decision by the Federal Labour Court, which holds such flash mobs for a permitted industrial dispute form, the trade association has lodged Germany 2009 constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in December according to own data.

In Philadelphia, a trend was observed that young people here like a "real " live out their mob violence in early 2010, now called "bash mob". Sometimes you will damage and / or robbed shops.

Prominent examples

• On 20 January 2008, about 700 people gathered on the Odeon Square in Munich, stormed a branch of McDonald's on routes to and bought there at one time 4,385 hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Flash mobs were organized in many German cities in this way. In a similar action on 29 March 2008 10,355 burgers were bought in a Berlin branch of McDonald's in one order.

• On 31 January 2008 at the same time solidified about 200 people at New York's Grand Central Terminal for a period of five minutes. The action was led by Improv Everywhere. The released film images were found on YouTube more than 30 million times.

• On April 4, 2009 at 16:00 clock met several thousand young people ( estimates vary between 1000 and 5000 people) on the occasion of the Pillow -Fight - Day to a pillow fight in front of the Cologne Cathedral.

• On 8 July 2009, more than 300 people met in Stockholm in honor of Michael Jackson. These gathered at various locations around the city and danced to Jackson's song " Beat it ".