Digital Mobbing, Physical Mobbing, Flash Mobbing

“mob |mäb|
noun
a large crowd of people, esp. one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence : a mob of protesters.
• (usu. the Mob) the Mafia or a similar criminal organization.
• ( the mob) the ordinary people : the age-old fear that the mob may organize to destroy the last vestiges of civilized life.
verb ( mobbed |mɑbd|, mobbing |mɑbɪŋ|) [ trans. ] (often be mobbed)
crowd around (someone) in an unruly and excitable way in order to admire or attack them : he was mobbed by autograph hunters.
• (of a group of birds or mammals) surround and attack (a predator or other source of threat) in order to drive it off.
• crowd into (a building or place) : an unruly crowd mobbed the White House during an inaugural reception.
DERIVATIVES
mobber |ˈmɑbər| noun
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: abbreviation of archaic mobile, short for Latin mobile vulgus ‘excitable crowd.’”
Courtesy of Apple Dictionary. Version 2.0.3 (51.5), 2007


The mob has been successfully used in a number of different contexts to perpetuate social, political or economic change. In relation to social media strategy, the important questions which arises is what differs between digital mobbing and the physical mobbing which is synonymous with political demonstration. For example, what's the mail difference between sending thousands of emails to a politican vs. sending thousands of people to the politician's door? Is it just the threat of violence, the change is the composition of your “comfortable space” or is it something completely different?From what we've discussed in class and from examples found, in recent times the best physical mobbing has been perpetuated by a digital mobbing.

Before I get into political mobbing, the idea of mobbing has been more widely and recently used through Flashmobbing. Utilised by some for political purposes, they were originally created to serve more of a social goal. The most well known examples to date however are economically goal oriented. Flashmobbing with an economic goal does not get every individual involved to buy a product, but rather for the exposure of a brand through viral video.



Project Name and URL:
T-Mobile Liverpool Street Station Group Dance Ad - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

Location & Creator/Author Organisation:
Liverpool Street Station – T-Mobile

Media and how it is used.
The aim of the project was to create a large scale spectacle in a well populated area. In this case, a long dance sequence was performed in Liverpool Street Station, London. The aim was for this spectacle to prompt mobile phone recording at the event, phone calls and overall conversation where the brand would be associated with it. It was created by the advertising firm, Saachi & Saachi.

Points reflecting on its success:
The video on YouTube has received 17,510,133 views (current for 7th February 2010) and it has perpetuated a number of other Flashmob scenarios which have been successful in advertising other brands in the last year.

More discussion later on the differences between digital, physical and flash mobbing