Spam can be "fun" - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ARTelevision · 06-19-2003, 05:04 PM

I'm seeing new mass-mailing behavior modification potential written all over this. The best way to control people is for them to believe they are having "fun".
..........................
E-Mail Mob Takes Manhattan

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59297,00.html

Jun. 19, 2003

NEW YORK -- There were no peasants waving torches or pitchforks in this crowd, no procession up a winding, eerie mountain road to flush out the monster who'd been terrorizing their town.

The mob that gathered in Manhattan on Tuesday night was looking for something they referred to (without explanation) as a "Love Rug." Or at least that's what the couple of hundred people who gathered in Macy's department store told a bemused salesman, who may or may not have believed he was dealing with a commune of carpet-craving eccentrics.

The crowd of people was participating in the Mob Project, an e-mail-driven experiment in organizing groups of people who suddenly materialize in public places, interact with others according to a loose script and then dissipate just as suddenly as they appeared.

The idea of premeditated mobs isn't new -- San Francisco has its mobs of drunken, scary Santas and anti-car bicycle riders. Protesters in Washington, D.C., and Seattle have used the instant on-and-off mob concept to get people to swarm political events.

But the Mob Project has a particular New York twist -- you have to know someone to get invited. There's no website to go to for information, no ads in local papers -- the mob forms from e-mails that are forwarded from person to person.

"Everyone loves a mindless mob!" said Merilyn Synder. "I was so stoked when I got my invitation -- no action, no protest, no needing to review my political stance on a particular issue. Just be there or be square."

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."

Bill said he's received e-mails from people in San Francisco and Chicago, telling him of their desire to launch their own mob projects.

"I hope they do it," said Bill. "One of them asked if they could 'steal' the idea, but it's not stealing at all. It's hardly even an idea at all: a mob, for no reason. That's it."
..............................

Mindless things don't stay mindless for long - at least for the people pulling the puppet strings. The control game is too tempting for those who find new ways to shove people around...especially in the name of "fun".

Sun Tzu · 06-19-2003, 05:08 PM

Now all they have to do is leave $5 in the stone cup in the corner on the way out; it will even be fun.

krwlz · 06-19-2003, 05:14 PM

Weird....I think I would need more purpose then that...

06-19-2003, 06:04 PM

Huh...

Let's 'invite' a bunch of people to a 'loosely scripted' gathering.
Sounds pretty 'mindless' to me.

gov135 · 06-19-2003, 06:05 PM

Seems like a group meeting for the lonely and shut-in.

Not my idea of a puppetmaster-type situation. None of these people probably share enough of an idealogy to manipulate as a whole.

YourNeverThere · 06-19-2003, 08:48 PM

thats amazing, i love mobs, and i love pointlessness, its so much fun, i want in

MacGnG · 06-19-2003, 09:41 PM

mass email:
bring X to Y and Do Z.
...... 100's of people show up.

lol

would be interesting to try

Tandem · 07-27-2003, 05:55 PM

New Yorkers often become part of unexpected mob scenes - huge crowds on subway platforms, at clothing sales, or at free concerts in places like Central Park.
Now they are doing it on purpose, for fun.

"Flash mobs", in which people show up at an assigned place at a certain time, perform some brief acts and then leave, have descended on stores, a hotel and even a park in New York.

In the latest occurrence, about 200 people converged on a Central Park ridge across from the Museum of Natural History on Thursday.

Once in place, the mob tweeted like birds and crowed like roosters, chanted "Na-ture" and then dispersed.

If you are wondering what the point is, there is not one.

The gathering was the fifth installment of the New York-based Mob Project, which started in June with a guy named Bill who sent an e-mail to some friends, who forwarded it to their friends, and so on.

Bill, who declines to give his last name, aims to make the project last a few more months.

For him, it is a way to get people out, just like inviting them to a friend's play.

"The idea was to dispense with the event altogether and have the audience come together for no reason," Bill said.

Among the New York sites that have been mobbed are a Hyatt Hotel, where members spontaneously began clapping.

In Macy's, they pretended to shop for a "love rug" for their joint home.

At a high-end shoe store in Soho, they acted like tourists from Maryland.

The absurdist idea is catching on outside New York too.

Bill says the Internet has been used to organize "flash mobs" in cities like Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, London, Rome and Vienna.

Four-time New York mob participant Theodore Grunewald was among those who received a Mob Project email advising them to synchronize their watches and go to one of four Upper West Side bars on Thursday evening.

Once at the bars, the would-be mob members were given flyers telling them to assemble in Central Park at a certain time, make bird noises, chant, cheer, and leave.

Mr Grunewald described the mobs as being urban poetry with no real purpose.

"It turns New York into an enormous toy," the 36-year old said. "And it brings all sorts of people together unexpectedly."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s910802.htm

phredgreen · 07-27-2003, 07:14 PM

i think these "flash mobs" are just brilliant. i love the whole idea behind it and hope that they will continue, peacefully, until the idea has run its course. i love the sheer strangeness of it... i'd happily take part in one just to have a silly story to relate to others later one. it feeds into a person's need to belong to something bigger than themselves without being so massive that it compltely takes over their life. a brilliant amusement.

Cynthetiq · 07-28-2003, 05:14 AM

I've been trying to get on one of these lists.

With the advent of the blackberry/cellphone email one can literally can get an email to appear to do something wacky.

rev_skarekroe · 07-28-2003, 06:02 AM

OK, flash mob in the parking lot behind my office at 11:30am. I expect you all to be there.
sk

jeenyus · 07-29-2003, 07:34 AM

spam can't be fun cus its annoying.

teshadoh · 07-29-2003, 05:51 PM

Sadly I went to this thread thinking that it was actually about the food, Spam. A grilled spam sandwich would taste mighty fine just about now.

06-19-2003, 05:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
ARTelevision I change Location: USA	Spam can be "fun" I'm seeing new mass-mailing behavior modification potential written all over this. The best way to control people is for them to believe they are having "fun". .......................... E-Mail Mob Takes Manhattan Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59297,00.html Jun. 19, 2003 NEW YORK -- There were no peasants waving torches or pitchforks in this crowd, no procession up a winding, eerie mountain road to flush out the monster who'd been terrorizing their town. The mob that gathered in Manhattan on Tuesday night was looking for something they referred to (without explanation) as a "Love Rug." Or at least that's what the couple of hundred people who gathered in Macy's department store told a bemused salesman, who may or may not have believed he was dealing with a commune of carpet-craving eccentrics. The crowd of people was participating in the Mob Project, an e-mail-driven experiment in organizing groups of people who suddenly materialize in public places, interact with others according to a loose script and then dissipate just as suddenly as they appeared. The idea of premeditated mobs isn't new -- San Francisco has its mobs of drunken, scary Santas and anti-car bicycle riders. Protesters in Washington, D.C., and Seattle have used the instant on-and-off mob concept to get people to swarm political events. But the Mob Project has a particular New York twist -- you have to know someone to get invited. There's no website to go to for information, no ads in local papers -- the mob forms from e-mails that are forwarded from person to person. "Everyone loves a mindless mob!" said Merilyn Synder. "I was so stoked when I got my invitation -- no action, no protest, no needing to review my political stance on a particular issue. Just be there or be square." 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." Bill said he's received e-mails from people in San Francisco and Chicago, telling him of their desire to launch their own mob projects. "I hope they do it," said Bill. "One of them asked if they could 'steal' the idea, but it's not stealing at all. It's hardly even an idea at all: a mob, for no reason. That's it." .............................. Mindless things don't stay mindless for long - at least for the people pulling the puppet strings. The control game is too tempting for those who find new ways to shove people around...especially in the name of "fun". __________________ create evolution

06-19-2003, 05:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sun Tzu Conspiracy Realist Location: The Event Horizon	Now all they have to do is leave $5 in the stone cup in the corner on the way out; it will even be fun. __________________ *To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.- Stephen Hawking*

06-19-2003, 08:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
YourNeverThere Practical Anarchist Location: Yesterday i woke up stuck in hollywood	thats amazing, i love mobs, and i love pointlessness, its so much fun, i want in __________________ The Above post is a direct quote from Shakespeare

07-27-2003, 05:55 PM	#8 (permalink)
Tandem Insane Location: Brisbane, Australia	Mob mentality afflicts New Yorkers New Yorkers often become part of unexpected mob scenes - huge crowds on subway platforms, at clothing sales, or at free concerts in places like Central Park. Now they are doing it on purpose, for fun. "Flash mobs", in which people show up at an assigned place at a certain time, perform some brief acts and then leave, have descended on stores, a hotel and even a park in New York. In the latest occurrence, about 200 people converged on a Central Park ridge across from the Museum of Natural History on Thursday. Once in place, the mob tweeted like birds and crowed like roosters, chanted "Na-ture" and then dispersed. If you are wondering what the point is, there is not one. The gathering was the fifth installment of the New York-based Mob Project, which started in June with a guy named Bill who sent an e-mail to some friends, who forwarded it to their friends, and so on. Bill, who declines to give his last name, aims to make the project last a few more months. For him, it is a way to get people out, just like inviting them to a friend's play. "The idea was to dispense with the event altogether and have the audience come together for no reason," Bill said. Among the New York sites that have been mobbed are a Hyatt Hotel, where members spontaneously began clapping. In Macy's, they pretended to shop for a "love rug" for their joint home. At a high-end shoe store in Soho, they acted like tourists from Maryland. The absurdist idea is catching on outside New York too. Bill says the Internet has been used to organize "flash mobs" in cities like Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, London, Rome and Vienna. Four-time New York mob participant Theodore Grunewald was among those who received a Mob Project email advising them to synchronize their watches and go to one of four Upper West Side bars on Thursday evening. Once at the bars, the would-be mob members were given flyers telling them to assemble in Central Park at a certain time, make bird noises, chant, cheer, and leave. Mr Grunewald described the mobs as being urban poetry with no real purpose. "It turns New York into an enormous toy," the 36-year old said. "And it brings all sorts of people together unexpectedly." http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s910802.htm Last edited by Cynthetiq; 07-28-2003 at 05:13 AM..

07-27-2003, 07:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
phredgreen who? Location: the phoenix metro	i think these "flash mobs" are just brilliant. i love the whole idea behind it and hope that they will continue, peacefully, until the idea has run its course. i love the sheer strangeness of it... i'd happily take part in one just to have a silly story to relate to others later one. it feeds into a person's need to belong to something bigger than themselves without being so massive that it compltely takes over their life. a brilliant amusement. __________________ My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. - Thomas Paine

06-19-2003, 05:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	Weird....I think I would need more purpose then that...

06-19-2003, 06:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
Big Julie Guest	Huh... Let's 'invite' a bunch of people to a 'loosely scripted' gathering. Sounds pretty 'mindless' to me.

06-19-2003, 06:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
gov135 Junkie Location: Midwest	Seems like a group meeting for the lonely and shut-in. Not my idea of a puppetmaster-type situation. None of these people probably share enough of an idealogy to manipulate as a whole.

06-19-2003, 09:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
MacGnG Know Where!	mass email: bring X to Y and Do Z. ...... 100's of people show up. lol would be interesting to try

07-28-2003, 05:14 AM	#10 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	I've been trying to get on one of these lists. With the advent of the blackberry/cellphone email one can literally can get an email to appear to do something wacky. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

07-28-2003, 06:02 AM	#11 (permalink)
rev_skarekroe Insane Location: Parts Unknown	OK, flash mob in the parking lot behind my office at 11:30am. I expect you all to be there. sk __________________ "If I could have one wish, as in the fairy tales, I would unmake my past, and rise like Lazarus and stand in sunlight and banish all the dark." D. Tibet

07-29-2003, 07:34 AM	#12 (permalink)
jeenyus Banned	sdaf spam can't be fun cus its annoying.

07-29-2003, 05:51 PM	#13 (permalink)
teshadoh Insane	Sadly I went to this thread thinking that it was actually about the food, Spam. A grilled spam sandwich would taste mighty fine just about now.