Flash Mobs as Modern Phenomenon - Essay Example

FLASH MOBS Introduction flash mob Flash mobs are unique because of their sudden appearance and emergence without any forewarning. Moreover, their distinguished quality is that they disappear suddenly without leaving any trace behind and last only for few minutes. Flash mobs are like flash floods which disappear and dry up as quickly as they were developed. Hence, these spontaneous gatherings are called flash mobs because they are unexpected and do not leave any proof for the government or the authorities to find out and leaves the audience to think about an issue or a problem that is neglected. Summary Hakim Bey According to Bey, when we look at some of the past stories related to “islands on the net” we conclude that freedom can be attained in the present time as well. Bey’s discussion of “pirate utopia” is one of the most interesting parts of the essay. Bey says that is these islands were communities, which existed only until they were discovered and demolished. Similarly, TAZ can be a form of these “islands on the net.” The writer says that it is a wrong belief that “uprising” is a failed revolution, because historians say that revolution is eternal whereas uprising is short-termed. Hence, uprising is similar “TAZ” (Temporary Automous Zone) which do not occur every day and such short moments give more intensity to fulfill any cause. TAZ according to Bey is an uprising, which does not involve the State, because it ends quickly before the government could destroy it. Although, these acts may be negative but they leave positive impact on society, which may bring about change (p 13). The Web plays a vital role in supporting TAZ as it helps it to become known. Hence, it would not be wrong to say that it exist in information technology as well as the real world. Moreover, the thing that brings about the TAZ is the “psychic nomadism” which gives the world something new to think. Hence, TAZ is very powerful display of gestures and its power resides in its invisibility. As the writer explains that it suddenly “vanishes leaving behind an empty husk” (p.2) which later appears somewhere else. Poetic Terrorism, according to Hakim Bey is a con artist who strives in bringing about positive change in the society, and does not depend on money. He further says that poetic terrorism must not be done for other artist s rather it should be done for people who will not recognize the art.Hence, the activities must based on risks, as it is against the law but one gets away with it and does not get caught, as the writer says “The best PT is against the law, but don't get caught. Art as crime; crime as art.” (p. 3). Flash Mob A flash mob is a gathering, which takes place when a group of strangers manages to invite each other using the internet or cell phones. This get-together is only for a very short time and is quickly dispersed after the participants have performed their desired act. Bill Wasik organized the first flash mob in June 2003, by inviting a group of hundred people to gather at a store’s rug department. The most common types of flash mobs include dancing, singing, acting spreading love, freezing or becoming statues. The best way to make a flash mob happen is with the use of internet technology. Internet is one of the easiest and fastest ways of communication. Hence, In order to invite people to participate in the flash mob one should make effective use of social media tools like email, websites, blogs, and text messages and so on. Moreover, one can request our family and acquaintances to participate as well. If a person is a student, they can call their friends to come to the event. The most popular social media sites like face book, and Twitter can play a vital role in bringing people together. In addition, when inviting people through text, the phrase “flash mob” should be highlighted to get the audience interest immediately. For a successful flash mob, the participants should be instructed properly about the activity and practice the occasion beforehand. Sometimes it is much easier to gather people, for example, if the activity includes a dance, then it will be easier to invite a group of participants especially if one is already a member of a dance group. To make the flash mob more attractive one must arrange the costumes or ask the members to wear the desired outfit. Moreover, if the event is complicated then a meeting must be arranged to discuss all-important issues. Once the flash mob event has ended, the participants must quickly disperse as if nothing happened. Bill Wasik, who was a Harper’s Magazine editor, was the first to produce flash mobs. Two of his flash mob activities are similar to Bey’s definition of TAZ. For example, one of the flash mobs by Wasik was when hundreds of people gathered in a store to shop for a “love rug” (wasik), after shopping just for a few minutes the participants dispersed suddenly. Another incident of flash mob was at the Grand Hyatt Hotel where people stood in a queue staring each other and laughing unexpectedly before leaving the place. These examples are “the temporary autonomous zone” where people gather to send a powerful message that is sent across to many people without breaking any law and without being caught. The Media portrayal of flash mob is very meaningless, because flash mobs are very powerful activities for the community. Flash mobs are portrayed as events that result in aggressive uprising and cause of deaths. Media is wrong in showing anti flash mob sentiments and blaming the social media, because when we look at past history riots did happen when social media like Facebook and Twitter were nonexistent. If a society wants to be heard, they will always make possible measures to send their message across. Flash mobs have many benefits it is different from the conventional advertising that sells a product or service. Another positive aspect of flash mob is to provide an amusement, which compels people to share it with others. Moreover, it is an activity, which can resolve many problems occurring every day in our surroundings and encouraging others to take part. There is a strong connection between Hakim Bey and Bill Wasik because both writers present the same views. Wasik who was the first inventor of flash mobs, created an activity and named it as “MOB” which was a gathering of “fairly representative cross section of hipsters” (wasik). Wasik’s aim was to criticize the “hipster culture” and to bring an awareness to serious problems of the society. These performances were unprompted and came to an end quickly so that they would not get caught by the police. Similarly if one reads “the temporary autonomous zone” by Hakim Bey one cannot help think of the flash mobs as presented by Wasik in “my crowd.” Like Wasik, Hakim Bay stresses the fact that people must not wait for a revolution or a political power to end, however, there can be an activity, which has short-term objectives and quick results. He says that “a form of free enclave” is possible even today (Bey, p.68). Moreover, he says that we can fight for freedom even by standing up for just few minutes. According to Bay, “the best PT is against the government but the trick is not to get caught, and “PT is an act which has no stage, no rows of seats, no tickets and no walls (Bey, p.3). Hence, if we analyze both bay’s and Wasik’s ideas they have the same agenda whether it is “the temporary autonomus zone” or “flash mobs” Conclusion Bill Wasik’s views on flash mobs are insightful as it gives us a new ways of expressing one’s thoughts and ideas. Wasik‘s flash mobs were an experiment to comment on the “urban hispster” (Wasik). Flash mob is without any doubt an effective tool in mirroring the culture’s negative aspects. Since the first display of flash mobs, they are done all over the world today for different purposes. These flash mobs are “the temporary autonomus zones” as described by Hakim Bey, where people get a chance to send their message across without harming anyone or without being caught by the authorities. Flash mobs despite its growing popularity could have some damaging effects on culture. Love, dance and pillow fights are not the only aims of flash mobs, instead there could be some underlying criminal activity in action. Works Cited Bey Hakim.”TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zone” New York: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.2011. Wasik, Bill. “My Crowd” Accessed at < http://harpers.org/archive/2006/03/my-crowd/ > Read More