E-Mail Mob Takes Manhattan
This "meme" has been making the blog-rounds the last day or so, but knowing that many Techdirt Wireless readers don't read many other blogs, I figured this story was definitely worth posting here. Some practical jokers in New York City took Howard Rheingold's "Smart Mob" concept to the next level and actually created a "flash mob" in a Manhattan Macy's. Around 200 people suddenly showed up and went to the ninth floor carpet department where they argued over whether or not (as a group) to buy a $10,000 carpet to be their "love rug" (they told the salesman that they all lived together in a warehouse). At the 10 minute mark, they decided (as a group) that they weren't interested in the rug, and dispersed. While it sounds like this particular "event" didn't involve wireless messaging, it's not hard to realize how soon similar events will use wireless messaging - and how that will let them mobilize and change plans on the fly. While these particular gatherings seem more like performance art, it's not hard to see how this could have a much larger social impact.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
