Summary Of My Crowd Experiment: The Mob

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social psychology behind celebrity endorsements, the gravity of a celebrity endorsement or opposition can change the face of an entire issue. This notion is frequently studied through consumer purchases of products, but holds multiple parallels to mob psychology as studied by Dr. Susan Whitborne of Psychology Today (Whitborne). Suggested ideas tie into the Civil Rights Movement as well as peer pressure by their classification: although it was clear that the initial protest was unsuccessful, it was only fully considered a failure after King classified it that way publically (Formwalt). According to a peer- reviewed journal article discussing the psychology of protests, “classical theories proposed that people participate in protests to express …show more content…

As aforementioned, peer pressure is not always negative, and can often have positive causes and effects, including mental and physical health benefits. The goal of flash mobs is to convey an idea in a brief amount of time through a phenomena known as
“buzz”, where people discuss the possibility of participating in an event to such an extent that news of the event’s occurrence is spread to a large population (Wasik). In Bill
Wasik’s “My Crowd Experiment: The Mob Project”, ideas surrounding flash mobs, their impact on society, widespread success due to buzz, and mob psychology are explored. He considers mob psychology to be a type of “…herd instinct… about the desire not to be out of the latest fad” (Wasik 480). Flash Mobs convey their messages by lasting a set amount of time and utilizing communication methods that people will remember, such as singing or dancing in a public place. In the article, “News Flash: Why Flash Mobs are
Good for your Health”, Anna Miller argues that flash mobs have both mental …show more content…

Flash mobs are examples of groups contributing to positive peer pressure, as often the messages aim to convey positive viewpoints and serve to make people happy through their methods of communication, leading others to follow suit by breaking out of their comfort zones and joining the flash mob movement. This form of peer pressure