September 2003
Going Public
The Internet has spawned a whole new vocabulary and the latest word to add to the list is “flash mobbing.” Flash mobs are large groups of people that gather in a prearranged public place (organized via email or SMS), take part in some brief action and then quickly disperse. The mobs have fast become a part of the urban landscape in the United States and Europe, but undoubtedly the craze is most prevalent here in Germany, where there are already groups in 21 cities. Munich played host to a flash mob for the first time in early August, attracting over 200 mobbers. They filled Marienplatz for a crazy five minutes, shouted “bing” and “bong,” applauded and left. This inexplicable craze apparently has no political agenda and while some people would like to call it performance art, others think of it as proof that some people have too much time on their hands! Visit
www.cheesebikini.com and
http://flashmob.twoday.net to find out more.
