THERE ARE NO SMART MOBS

E-Mail Mob Takes Manhattan (Michelle Delio, Jun. 19, 2003, Wired)

The Mob Project is the brainchild of a man publicly known only as Bill, who says he works in the "culture industry."

"The idea is mine, and I write the e-mails, but I don't think of myself as the leader of the mob," Bill wrote in an e-mail. "In my mind (the mob) is led by whoever forwards the e-mail around. People make the mob through whoever they know."

Bill has become more secretive about Mob Project plans since the first mob event was held in May.

That event drew six police officers and one paddy wagon, after one of the e-mail recipients (now officially known to the mob as "Squealy") alerted authorities to the impending arrival of the mob.

Due to that unwanted attention from law enforcement officials, Bill opted to keep the details of the second mob action a secret until the very last possible moment.

The e-mail invite instructed participants to synchronize their watches and be waiting at 7 p.m. in one of four specified bars at a particular spot (for example, near the framed prints of the elephant and the leopard in the midtown Holiday Inn's bar).

That evening, mob representatives sporting stylish headgear appeared in the bars and passed out slips of paper containing information on where the mob was to convene and what to do once they got there.

About 200 people then proceeded to Macy's. They rode the escalators to the ninth floor rug department, where they gathered around a large carpet on display.

"We were told to say we all lived together in a big old warehouse in the suburbs," said Jenni Valton, a participant. "We all explained to the salesman that we were looking for a love rug to play on, and that we only make purchases as a group."

After discussing the merits and drawbacks of the selected carpet for 10 minutes, the mob dispersed.

"It was all perfect," Bill said of the activity.

He refused to comment on plans for the next mob event, beyond confirming that there will be another action in July.

Some mob members said they believed the project could serve as an excellent trial run for political protests.

But most said they hoped the Mob Project didn't turn political.

"I've always wanted to be able to say 'I'm a member of the mob' and now I can," said Valton. "In this city, where people seem to need a logical reason for doing anything, it's great to just have some stupid fun."

Never underestimate the capacity of people to trivialize a technology. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 23, 2003 10:14 PM