快闪族：流行文化新秀

如果你正悠闲地走在街上，突然一群人从天而降，聚集在你周围又唱又跳，而在你回过神来之前又都迅速散去作路人状，可不要吃惊哦。他们就是传说中又潮又有活力的快闪族！快闪最早是谁发明的？快闪族又有哪些有趣的创意呢？

If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised. They are a flash mob. Who are they? Are they mobs2? Don’t be confused by their name. Actually, a flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly disperse.3 They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks. The messages may be forwarded to friends, who forward to more people.4 At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distraction such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and yelling something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds. Then, they quickly disperse before the police can arrive. Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its venue if the first one has been compromised for any reason.5

Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine , organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob assembled on June 3, 2003 (after the initial attempt at a flash mob was foiled) at Macy’s department store.6 More than one hundred people converged upon the ninth floor rug department of Macy’s department store, gathering aroundone particular very expensive rug.7 Following this flash mob, about 200 people flooded the lobby and mezzanine of the Hyatt hotel in synchronized applause for about fifteen seconds, and next participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip invaded a shoe boutique in Soho.8 A later mob saw hundreds of people perched on a stone ledge in Central Park making bird noises.9

Wasik claimed that he created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to poke fun at hipsters, and highlight the cultural atmosphere of conformity and of wanting to be an insider or part of “the next big thing”.10

The inexplicable nature and lack of apparent agenda seems to widen the appeal of flash mobs,11 the silly and harmless activities. Many Web logs, chat rooms and Web groups are devoted to the craze.12 Flash mobs started as pointless stunts,13 but the concept has already developed for the benefit of political and social agendas. Flash mobbing utilizes the efficiency of communicating information on Websites and by email, and protesters can similarly use the “on and off” concept to swarm political events.14

Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people. Such an activity might seem amusing and surreal15, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.

The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him. Hundreds of his fans gathered outside the railway station in Liverpool. They were singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together. And in another example, some people took part in a flash mob to tell more people not to use negative words. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.