Flash Mobs, the Internet, and Publicity

Don't look now, but city may soon get 'Punk'd'

August 5, 2003

BY RICHARD ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Be warned, Chicago. It's only a matter of time before we get group "Punk'd." It could happen on Friday, Aug. 29, at precisely 9 p.m., on the west side of the John Hancock Building. If all goes according to plan, the night will be jolted by dozens if not hundreds of people, all wearing sunglasses and all coughing in unison for exactly one minute before dispersing--leaving everyone else to wonder, "What the hell was THAT?"

That would be an example of a flash mob, the increasingly widespread trend that's a kind of performance art, blending the "Gotcha!" mentality of Ashton Kutcher's MTV prank show (which of course is an update of the old "Candid Camera") with the communication capabilities of the Internet and cell phones.

Flash mobs are benign, silly--and in some cases, hilarious. The particulars vary, but the basic formula is for strangers to mobilize in a public place, perform a task of a Monty Pythonesque nature and then dissipate, all within a matter of minutes. The element of surprise is key--which probably means that my mention of the flash mob near the Hancock Building later this month probably won't take place. Sorry about that, guys. (I also heard about a flash mob that was supposed to occur last Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams, where flash mobbers were supposed to write "Alexander Calder" on yellow Post-It notes and place the notes on the Calder sculpture. We were experiencing a deluge at the time, so my guess is the event was rained out.)

The flash mob reportedly was created in Manhattan by a group calling itself the Mob Project. The first successful flash mob occurred last May when more than 100 people, almost all of them in their 20s and 30s, showed up at Macy's and began debating whether to purchase an expensive rug for their supposed commune. After a few minutes, the crowd disappeared.

This was followed by a flash mob at a New York Hyatt, where more than 200 people swarmed the lobby and broke into applause as confused guests and staffers whirled about, trying to figure out WHAT was being applauded.

And then, swoosh--the flash mob was gone in a flash.

A flashy phenomenon

Flash mobs have been staged in San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston and Minneapolis, among other U.S. cities, and recently the trend has spread to Europe, with flash mobs occurring in Rome, Vienna and London.

In San Francisco, about 200 people twirled across Market Street for 10 minutes.

In Minnesota, a group at the Mall of America descended on an electronics store that was showing "Lord of the Rings" on several monitors, and asked for popcorn.

In Harvard Square, hundreds of flash mobbers crammed into a bookstore and said they were looking for birthday cards for their friend "Bill, from New York City."

In Dallas, dozens showed up at the Angelika Film Center & Cafe for a game of "Marco Polo."

At Web sites such as cheesebikini.com and flocksmart.com, you can view photos of recent flash mobs and read about the hundreds of upcoming events:

"Tulsa . . . Show up with that morning's Tulsa World newspaper ... Slowly chant 'News, news, news, news, news' for one minute. Then walk away. . ."

"Toronto, [intersection of Yonge and Bloor] . . . Bring a pad of paper and pencil and sketch someone's face who also has a pad and pencil. Leave at 1:15 p.m. and tape your picture to a telephone pole . . ."

"Berlin, Sony Center . . . Assemble in front of glass platform . . . [Say] 'Oooh!', APPLAUSE [for] two minutes, leave . . ."

"San Francisco, Union Square... We sit in a circle and flip each other off with both hands, eyes closed . . . Anyone who peeks gets a punch in the nose."

Mob mentality

A punch in the nose? That sounds like a violation of the unwritten flash-mob code, which states that no serious laws shall be broken, no violence committed, no real damage done.

Sad to say, it's probably only a matter of time before a flash mob gets ugly. If one overzealous security guard gets physical or one flash mobber starts trouble, a single altercation could turn into a mini-riot. And then we'll get the editorials and commentaries wondering why something wasn't done to prevent this whole flash mobbing thing in the first place.

For now, though, the media are embracing flash mobs--often showing up at designated locales before the participants themselves. The more you get observers like me shining the spotlight on this trend, the more creative the organizers have to be--often withholding key details about an event until the last possible minute.

I'm sure I'll hear about other flash mobs, past and present, in Chicago. In the meantime, here's a suggestion for one.

Oct. 17, Chicago Sun-Times building, main entrance. Show up with an expensive gift. Sing two choruses of "Happy Birthday Richie!" Place expensive gifts on sidewalk. Then disappear.

Trust me, it'll be fun!