PVCC Puma Press: October 2003

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	In just five minutes, as soon as a man claims he just found the lens, the mob scatters like startled birds
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It's 6 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Fashion Square Mall looks like it would on any given weeknight. People hang out in the food court or try on new pairs of shoes. I'm being strong-armed by a high-pressure cell-phone saleswoman, but I'm not here to shop.

The trick is to look like I am shopping, even if it means faking interest in the new Sony Erickson cell-phone with a color screen and 50 different ring tones.

"Puma Press" Photo Editor Stephen Harding and I are on assignment, covering the latest social craze to hit the globe: flash mobs, a large group of people who meet suddenly in a public place and then disperse. The mobs are formed via e-mail where participants are given a meeting time and place. Once they arrive at the designated meeting place, they need to look for a specific person; it could be someone with a yellow shirt or green pants. We're looking for a girl with a red balloon.

6:15 p.m.—We're waiting at the west entrance in front of Fossil, just as we have been told. We just spotted the red balloon. The girl beneath it is handing us a card telling us to meet in front of the information desk at 6:46 p.m. Why they don't just make it 6:45?

6:45 p.m. We're staked out at a table in the main dining area of the food court, about 20 feet from the information desk. I'm trying to look completely inconspicuous, drinking a Coke and plowing through one of those big, greasy slices of pepperoni pizza. then I hear someone yell: "I lost my contact lens!"

Before I can swallow, the tile floor in front of the information booth is covered with people pretending to look for a lost contact lens. Some are crawling around on their hands and knees while others stand around scratching their heads and pondering the whereabouts of the contact lens.

In just five minutes, as soon as a man claims he just found the lens, the mob scatters like startled birds. It dissipates without leaving so much as a hint that it was there at all.

The birth of the mob craze

According to a July BBC news article by Mark Ward, a group known as the Mob Project formed the first flash mob in New York last June. The group sent out random e-mails asking people to synchronize their watches and meet in one of four Manhattan bars. Once there, participants received instructions to meet in a nearby Macy's department store. A group of about 100 participants convened in the home furnishing section.

The mob told employees they all lived together in a nearby warehouse and needed a new "love rug" to play on. After about 10 minutes, the mob decided that Macy's didn't have a rug that suited their needs. The floor of the rug department was empty two minutes later.

Since then, flash mobs have popped up all over the country and in all but two continents. But what's the point?

"It's just fun," says Leslie, a Fashion Square Mall participant who withheld her last name. "My mom used to do something like this in the 60s. It's a great way for people to get together and have fun."

So what do flash mobs mean to these people? Could it be a performance art or possibly a political statement?

Howard Rhiengold, author of "Smartmobs: The Next Social Revolution," believes it is good, harmless fun.

"There's a place for frivolous and meaningless," Rhiengold told reporter Janet Kornblum in an August interview for USA Today. "Fun's okay. In fact, it's necessary."

Could this be just another flashy trend soon to disappear from existence or is it evolving into a "social revolution"?

"I'm definitely going to keep showing up," says Leslie. "It's a kick watching everybody run around."

New flash mob ideas are popping up on websites like Cheesebikini.com every day. Some participants may find themselves in the middle of a "FLESH mob," a naked form of the flash mob. How about a "slash mob," where participants mimic their favorite serial killer or horror film slasher? Who knows what could possibly be next?