Interesting flash mobs and promotions. The most famous flash mobs in Russia
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Key Ideas
- Flash mobs help us feel important. This is a personal moment of glory.
- A person is always more comfortable in a group.
- The Internet and participation in various events is a way of self-expression.
- We want to be like celebrities, wanting to imitate them, we participate in flash mobs.
Flash mobs came into fashion about ten years ago. Through the Internet, people agreed on the time and place of the meeting, gathered at public place and at the appointed hour, completely unexpectedly for passers-by, they began to carry out their routine - dancing, singing or doing something else unusual. Some turned into a real show, and their videos became viral and quickly gained popularity on the Internet. Now flash mobs are moving entirely online. Physical presence is no longer required. With minimal effort we get feedback from the world, confirmation that we exist.
Psychologists identify four main reasons that force people to take part in online performances.
1. Feeling of self-worth
At the heart of any flash mob is an official idea - to draw attention to a problem, raise funds for charity, release pent-up emotions or popularize cultural values. Duke University psychology professor Dan Ariely notes that everyone strives to create an image of a good, respectable person 1 . Participating in flash mobs with noble ideas is one of the easiest ways to achieve this goal.
Post a picture online while sitting on the couch,- easier than doing something in real world. At the same time, we receive immediate rewards - likes, reposts and comments from our virtual friends. In 2007, a team of scientists led by University of Michigan School of Computer Science professor Nicole Ellison examined how young people use social media. Scientists have come to the conclusion - active work on social networks helps to increase self-esteem and level of life satisfaction 2.
“Group actions provide an opportunity to feel involved to some “important matter,” which always increases self-esteem,” explains psychologist Elena Solomeina. - Unfortunately, when solving their problems in this way, many do not pay attention to the essence of the flash mob, to the idea for which everything was started. This is the emotional and demonstrative component of the flash mob. “I belong to a group of people who care, I help people and in general I am useful for society and the world as a whole” - in our time, it is not so much success that is relevant as demonstrating this success to the world.
The Internet allows you to get results instantly: post a funny video with yourself and you’re a celebrity
Flash mob participants create the illusion of working to achieve socially significant goals. “However, the real changes that are available to a person in the first place are changes in his real life“says psychologist Mikhail Balakin. They require more effort, courage and determination than publishing a story or completing a task online. Unlike changes in real life, in a flash mob you don’t have to think about what to do.
Created by social networks a virtual reality- replacement of real activity, substitution of life, its simulation. It's always easier to play than to really work. The Internet allows you to get results instantly: you signed an appeal, talked about something intimate, posted a funny video with your participation - and you are a celebrity. They talk about you, they discuss you - a personal moment of fame.
2. The desire for social belonging
Flash mobs allow us to be part of something bigger. Thematic - find like-minded people, some of whom can become friends in real life.
In the case of emotionally charged flash mobs, people understand that they are not alone in their trouble, and enlist mutual support. The need to be part of a group is not new. The survival of our ancestors depended on the ability to settle into society. Belonging to a community increased the chances of survival. The outcasts died. These mechanisms still work today.
In 2010, a group of scientists led by Michael Bernstein, PhD, a psychologist at Pennsylvania State University, conducted a study on social isolation. Participants in the experiment were divided into three groups: the first was asked to write an essay about how society rejected them; the second is about acceptance and inclusion; the third - on a neutral topic. All participants were then shown a series of short videos of smiling people. The subjects had to recognize genuine and fake smiles. The results showed - “rejected” participants did the most. Scientists have concluded that social isolation activates an adaptive mechanism that helps us restore contact with the community 3 .
Singing in a choir is not as scary as performing solo
It is important for a person to feel like a member of a community or groups. This allows him to form an idea of himself and answer the question “who am I?” “By joining one community or another, a person gains a sense of belonging and strength by finding like-minded people,” says Mikhail Balakin.
“In the virtual space, people satisfy social needs,” says psychologist Alena Al-As. - You can easily join a group of your own kind and become part of something big. Even a withdrawn, timid and lonely person finds “friends”, they begin to respect him, they begin to listen to him.”
“Openly expressing your views and feelings is not easy. When everyone does this, it becomes easier,” says psychologist Elena Solomeina. “Singing in a choir is not as scary as performing solo.”
PHOTO Getty Images
3. Opportunity for self-expression
The Internet is the most popular platform for creativity. First, there are no barriers to entry. Anyone can register an account on a social network. There is no need to climb up to the podium or otherwise physically attract people's attention. Secondly, a limitless audience. Perhaps among your friends there are not enough like-minded people or people facing similar problems. They will probably be found on the Internet.
Communications expert Alena August believes that The online social circle is much wider than what we have in real life. On the Internet, you can meet a person with whom you have something in common, and reinforce this connection with relevant posts. You can say something that is unlikely to be asked Everyday life, as in the case of the flash mob #I'm not afraid to say. The lack of direct physical contact creates a feeling of safety. No one is safe from malicious comments, but they certainly won’t throw rotten eggs at you.
Flash mob - group psychological training, during which a person expresses himself openly, throwing away inhibitions
“The Internet gives a person experiences that are missing in reality, brings additional adrenaline - and all this against the backdrop of a feeling of complete security,” confirms Sergei Gorin. “The Internet creates a feeling of being chosen and initiated into secrets.”
“On the Internet we realize what we don’t have the courage to do in real life,” says Alena Al-As. “This allows a person to express their feelings, cope with fear of rejection and get the support needed to deal with difficult situations.”
“Flash mob - group psychological training, during which a person openly expresses himself, casting aside inhibitions,” says psychologist Elena Solomeina. This has a positive effect on the emotional sphere of his life.
4. The desire to imitate
In the most popular flash mobs famous personalities took part- Vin Diesel, Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen King doused themselves with ice water during the #icebucketchallenge movement. We want to prove that we are no worse famous personalities. We try to get closer and join them. The same thing happens when all our friends participate in a flash mob. We feel left out if we don't join the movement.
In any group there is a leader, a bright creative personality who calls for something. The group accepts the message and implements its idea, explains Alena Al-As. Usually flash mobs depend on such bright personalities.
But psychologist Valentin Denisov-Melnikov explains the popularity of flash mobs by the fact that for many it is easier to be like everyone else. The #icebucketchallenge received such a response because few people decided to give up when challenged. They were embarrassed to show themselves as cowards and not get doused with ice water. Only the most independent were able to say: “I don’t want to.”
We take part in flash mobs
Flash mobs not only attract public attention to important issues, but also help participants have fun or feel better. Main - the right approach to these events.
Remember the main idea. Before you post a picture under a popular hashtag, think about whether you really support and share the idea that the flash mob is promoting.
Test yourself for conformity. Ask yourself: am I participating in this because it is important to me, or am I uncomfortable being apart of mass activity?
Think about the consequences. What is once posted on the Internet remains there forever. Disclosing personal or traumatic information can bring relief to short term, and then be replaced by a feeling of shame and regret.
1 D. Ariely, “The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves” (Harper Collins, 2013).
2 N. Ellison et al. “The benefits of Facebook ‘friends’: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2007, vol. 12, no. 4.
3 M. Bernstein et al. “A preference for genuine smiles following social exclusion,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2010, vol. 46, no. 1.
Flash mob (read as flash mob, from the English flash mob - flash - flash; moment, moment; mob - crowd, translated as “flash crowd” or “instant crowd”) is a pre-planned mass action in which large group people (mobbers) suddenly appear in a public place, within a few minutes they perform pre-agreed actions of absurd content (scenario) and then at the same time quickly disperse in different directions, as if nothing had happened.
A flash mob is almost impossible without the Internet, because... It is through the Network that the preparation and coordination of actions takes place.
The first attempts to describe flash mob-like actions can be found in the books of science fiction writer Larry Niven, which were published back in the 60s of the last century. The idea of bringing people together, which the author wrote about, is very similar to a modern flash mob.
In October 2002, sociologist Howard Reingold’s book “The Smart Crowd: The Next Social Revolution” was published, in which the author wrote about the potential of a crowd capable of gathering in a couple of hours using modern digital technologies (e-mail, sms, etc.) . Many flashmobbers in the West consider him the “founding father” of the entire movement, but this is not entirely true. Firstly, Reingold wrote not about a flash mob, but about a smart mob - this is different concepts. Secondly, he did not set himself the goal of organizing any movement or community. This idea came to the creator of the website FlockSmart.com - a successful 28-year-old computer scientist from San Francisco, Rob Zazueta - after he read Reingold's book.
It is generally accepted that the first flashmobber action took place in June 2003 in New York, because the first attempt to create a flash mob failed, the police learned about the action scheduled for July 3, 2003. The organizers avoided this problem when holding the second flash mob, which took place on June 17, 2003. More than 100 people surrounded a huge Oriental rug in a Macy's store and began to assure the puzzled salespeople that they urgently needed a $10,000 “love rug” for their “community.” After this incident, “instant crowds” began appear in different parts of the world almost every day.
The first European flash mob was planned to be held in London, but its preparation dragged on for almost a month. Meanwhile, Rome organized and carried out its own action - it became the first in Europe. On July 24, about 200 people entered the bookstore and began asking the clerks for non-existent books for several minutes, then they applauded the store's patient employees and went off to “go about their business.”
The first Ukrainian flash mob took place on August 16, 2003. Kyiv mobbers planned to meet at the iron palm tree in the Globus on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, but information about the impending mob was leaked to the press and on television. Therefore, further preparations for the mob took place in strict secrecy. Participants up to last moment did not know what they had to do: they received instructions only 40 minutes before the start of the event. About 70 people bought a lollipop at the appointed hour and went to look at the windows. Then everyone crowded around the stall and began pestering the sellers with the question: “How many of these sweets do you need to eat to gain seven kilograms?”
The flash mob reached the Internet. The scenario is often the same: at the agreed time, mobbers enter the chat, say hello, remain mysteriously silent for several minutes, then politely say goodbye and leave. With enough mobbers, chat regulars get a slight shock.
1. Sweden, Stockholm. Flash mob in memory of Michael Jackson
2. Russia, Moscow. Another flash mob dedicated to Jackson. "Thriller", 08/29/2009
3. Russia, Moscow, flash mob in the Metropolis shopping center
4. Great Britain, Manchester, March 14, 2007. In the supermarket, about fifty people froze at the same time.
5. America, California. Ninja flash mob
6. “Naked flash mob of protest in Germany. Social flash mob against the introduction of “Undressing” scanners at airports.
7. Another “Naked Flash Mob” organized by Spencer Tunick on the eve of the gay pride parade in Sydney.
8. Flash mob “Ukraine, be silent!”, held on May 17, 2010. Participants protested against the Ukrainian authorities’ oppression of the people’s right to peaceful rallies, and in support of social activists in Russia, who are being persecuted by the authorities for peaceful protests.
9. Probably the most touching flash mob is “Free Hugs.” Official video
10. Free hugs in Moscow
11. Motor rally of the “Blue Bucket Society”
12. Dreamflash in Moscow
13. Pillow fight. New York, 2007
14. Zombie mob in Toronto, 2006
15. And here’s how the zombie mob went in Kyiv
16. Chernigov. Flash mob "Pillows"
17. Flash mob at a concert organized by Oprah Winfrey - the largest flash mob in the world. About 21,000 people took part in it. By the way, he is listed in the Guinness Book of Records
18. Spectacular flash mob in the hostel
19. Flash mob in the New York metro.
20. Traditional winter flash mob called No Pants Subway Ride. Hundreds of inhabitants New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles at the same time they go down to the subway, where they temporarily get rid of their pants and travel in their underwear.
21. Shocking Japanese flash mob
22. Switzerland. Flash mob of suicide bombers. Residents of Zurich witnessed the unexpected deaths of numerous event participants. Activists of the organization mingled with ordinary residents of the city, and then fell dead to the ground, thus depicting death due to a disaster from nuclear contamination.
23. Song flash mob in 156 countries
24. Flash mob with webcam
25. Israel. Very beautiful dance flash mob on the beach
26. Flash mob in a cafe
27. Ukraine, Kyiv. Book flash mob. More than 300 people read books at the same time, sitting on the dividing strip of the Maidan
28. Flash mob Water battle in the summer of 2010. in Moscow. Several hundred people came out to fight the heat, several hundred people armed with last word splashing equipment - bottles of water, water pistols and machine guns, as well as simply buckets and pans - in general, everything that can be splashed, poured and doused with.
29. Flash mob organized by Jamie Oliver
30. Flash mob with dancing pregnant women in London
On November 20, 1997, 1997 British people united in a human column and walked 30 meters. In memory of this event, the site has prepared a review of the most striking and massive flash mobs of the last decade.
Dance flash mob in the station building
Members of an Australian charity promoting active lifestyle, in In 2010, they began a synchronized dance in the Sydney station building.
The sleepiest flash mob
And German mobbers from Baden-Baden, on the contrary, lay down en masse to rest. Under the slogan "Sleeping Beauty and Climate Policy" (Dornröschen Klimapolitik) 40 participants were located on the roadway. In this way, they intended to draw the attention of the “sleeping” authorities to environmental problems that caused serious climate change.
Flash mob in freeze-frame style
In March 2007, a funny flash mob was organized in one of the supermarkets in Manchester. Before time X, participants behaved like ordinary shoppers. The greater the surprise of sellers and bystanders when the mobbers immediately “went into freeze-frame mode.” The living statues had enough patience for 4 minutes. Not one of the approximately 50 participants stepped out of character early or spoiled the spectacle with an occasional sneeze or nervous chuckle.
Flash mob in freeze-frame style in a Manchester supermarket
Flash mob with elements of acrobatics from pregnant women
A year later, a truly frightening action was carried out in Paris, Berlin and a number of large Canadian cities. Several hundred women later pregnant women gathered in the parks of big cities to perform breakdancing. Passers-by were shocked, to put it mildly. However, the brave dancers pursued more noble goals. Posing a serious threat to unborn babies acrobatic stunts symbolized the plight of women in third world countries, forced to give birth in unsterile conditions and without the help of a midwife.
Flash mob warning from Greenpeace
An even more shocking flash mob was planned and carried out by Swiss Greenpeace members. Several hundred people split into groups and dispersed throughout the most crowded places in the capital. Having previously joined the crowd and waited a couple of minutes, the participants of the action synchronously fell “dead”. The uninitiated fell into panic: among the “stricken unknown disease“There were a lot of kids and old people. A little more, and the witnesses themselves would have needed medical attention. But Greenpeace only planned to say “no” to nuclear weapons.
Massive and shocking flash mob from Swiss Greenpeace activists
Flash mob with stripping on the coast Dead Sea
A serious flash mob without elements of a disaster movie is possible, the Israelis decided on September 14, 2012. And they stripped naked on the shores of the Dead Sea, wanting to remind their fellow citizens of the threat of the reservoir drying up. PR provided Spencer Tunick (Spencer Tunick) – American photographer, specializing in filming “naked” flash mobs. The action deeply outraged the Israeli government and devout Jews. The latter were unable to intervene due to the fact that their cunning compatriots timed the action to coincide with Saturday - the day when Orthodox Jews are prohibited from using personal transport. As luck would have it, no buses go in this direction.
The most massive dance flash mob from Michael Jackson fans
A record-breaking flash mob in terms of the number of participants took place in 2009 in Mexico City. On August 29, 13,957 people celebrated their 51st birthday Michael Jackson, gathered for a collective dance to his hit "Thriller".
The lead mobber was dressed in a recognizable costume of the pop legend, and part of the large support group chose a zombie outfit.
Walking invisible dogs on the streets of New York
2000 members of the New York art collective Improve Everywhere In 2009, they organized a mass walking of invisible dogs. One of the mobbers came across real deposits of children's toys that had gone out of sale - the so-called “collars for invisible dogs.”
The illusion of the presence of an invisible pet is created by the rigid base of the leash and muzzle. The most resourceful "dog owners" staged bad behavior of imaginary four-legged animals - from chasing cyclists to messing around in a garbage can.
Flash mob with a charge of positivity from Chelyabinsk
On September 14, 2008, residents of “harsh” Chelyabinsk smiled at the whole world. More than 9 thousand participants, dressed in bright yellow raincoats and baseball caps, came to Revolution Square and lined up in the shape of a smiley face. A positive sign with a diameter of 75 meters was even seen by an American satellite filming the area for Google Maps. Mobbers were driven by the desire to get into the Internet and the Guinness Book of Records. And also congratulate Dmitry Medvedev Happy 43rd birthday.
"Smiley" from Chelyabinsk residents - flash mob - "smile" to the whole world and Dm. Medvedev personally
All-female flash mob "Runaway Brides"
On June 5, 2013, another flash mob took place in Moscow and 12 other Russian cities. "Runaway Brides" from Cosmopolitan magazine. Contrary to the name, the participants did not leave their chosen ones on the wedding day and not forever. The girls simply went to a massive bachelorette party in their own or rented ones for the occasion.
Participants of the spectacular Russian flash mob "Runaway Brides"
In 2013, many interesting and unusual flash mobs took place around the world. On which they sang, danced, launched sky lanterns, “hanged” famous figures culture and undressed... We have collected 10 of the most striking - from undressing in the subway to singing of British military personnel.
Flashmob is a fairly new phenomenon that appeared in 2002, after the publication of sociologist Howard Reingold's book Smart Crowds: The Next Social Revolution. In it, the author predicted that people would use new communication technologies(Internet, Cell phones) for self-organization. In essence, this is true: a flash mob is a pre-planned mass action in which a large group of people appears in a public place, performs pre-agreed actions (according to the script) and then disperses.
On June 17, 2003, the first official flash mob took place. Its organizer at that time was Chief Editor Harper's Magazine Bill Wasik. That flash mob was quite strange in description: approximately 200 people (according to other sources 150) gathered around one expensive carpet in the furniture department of the Macy's department store and began to tell the sellers that they lived together in a warehouse in a "suburban commune" on the outskirts of New York and came to buy the “Rug of Love”.
Musical flash mob from the British Army
British military Music band has the most large composition in England. Not so long ago, in September of this year, they organized a musical flash mob in Chamberlain Square in Birmingham. 60 musicians performed the classic “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prim.
Flash mob in memory of Nelson Mandela
WoolworthsFood store employees paid tribute to the recently deceased President of South Africa and one of the most famous human rights activists, Nelson Mandela, in an unusual and very beautiful way. The flash mob, called "Gospel Flash Mob", is a song they prepared together with the Soweto church choir and sang right in the store on a weekday. The visitors were touched - they filmed it and clapped at the end.
Flash mob - launching sky lanterns
Synchronized launch of sky lanterns in the city of Miag-ao in the Philippines.
Flash mob “No pants on the subway”
The strange and funny flash mob “No Pants Subway Ride” has been taking place in many cities around the world for several years in a row. The idea of stripping down to their underpants in front of subway passengers arose in 2002 among seven daredevils from the art group ImprovEverywhere in New York. On January 13, 2013, the flash mob was repeated - more than four thousand women and men in their underwear rode in the New York subway. And around the world, in 25 countries, about 16 thousand people took part in this unusual event. The largest concentrations of participants in this flash mob can be seen in the metro of Mexico City, London, Madrid, Berlin, Helsinki, Washington and, of course, New York.
Flash mob from a musical group of the US Air Force
In December, in honor of the holidays, the United States Air Force musical group surprised visitors National Museum aviation and astronautics with an unexpected flash mob. Without any announcements or warnings, emerging from the crowd, they began to play classic"Joy To The World".
Flash mob “Do Not Kill Culture”
In October, a flash mob called “Don’t Kill Culture” took place in Rome. During this action, cultural activists hung a slogan in defense of culture on the Ponte Sant Angelo bridge, as well as silhouettes of “hanged” icons European culture — famous dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, film actor and director Charlie Chaplin, writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, film director Piero Paolo Pasolini, artist Pablo Picasso, architect, “father of modernism” in Northern Europe Alvar Aalto, experimental scientist Maria Skłodowska-Curie, singer Maria Callas and writer Astrid Lindgren.
Flash mob at an employment service office in Spain
There are a lot of unemployment cases in Spain and the employment office is a very sad place. In January of this year, the musical group Carne Cruda decided to slightly diversify the lives of people forced to look for work, and held a musical flash mob in one of these offices. The video shows that they chose the Beatles song "Here Comes The Sun".
Flash mob of zombie culture fans
Fans of zombie culture constantly organize flash mobs in different corners peace. Brighton Academy students staged a London Museum science small flash mob in support of ZombieLab events.
Large-scale dance flash mob in Seattle
On April 14, more than 500 people came out to surprise Seattle pedestrians. The flash mob “The Glee Flash Mob” took place in three different locations in the city. The dance in the video was recorded in Westlake Park in Lower Seattle.
Flash mob “Verdi Style”
May 15 ten opera singers from Canada, the USA and Puerto Rico, being among the guests at one of the evenings, began to sing famous composition Giuseppe Verdi.
