mass media is defined as mediums that have the technical capacity to deliver information to millions of people in a short time. therefore, it is arguable that the internet and with it, social networking sites like twitter or facebook, is also a part of mass media. with the growing use of technology in our lives, it is only a matter of time before internet replaces everything else, even the television.
undeniably, twitter and facebooks have the means to reach out to millions of people in a most efficient way. one good example of this is flash mobs. flash mobs started out when individuals used Facebook to coordinate mass dances and so on. it was an outrages move that caught on and now has became somewhat a fad. surely this is evidence enough of the power effects of Facebook. not only have youths been able to organise flash mobs through facebook and twitter, now, to the horror of many store owners, robberies are also being organised through these mediums. these robbers make use of flash mobs to distract the store owners so that they can shoplift. known as flash mob thefts, they are becoming more and more common. it has become such a trouble that Cleveland has even made flash mobs illegal.
many voluntary associations have also organised flash mobs through social networking sites to bring awareness to their campaigns. even advertising companies are trying to use this as a means to promote their products to the public. one such instance is the flash mob in orchard road which was used to advertise for the upcoming new season of glee.
not only have social networking sites lead to a discovery of a new advertising avenue, but it has also lead to many cultural changes. with the prevalence of flash mob today, and it’s growing popularity, society is forced to be more open to changes and more open to self-expression. subdued behaviour is no longer preferred. Surely, this would pave a way for societies like singapore to be less conservative
one thing is for sure, this is only the beginning of the advancement of social networking sites.
theherdeffect 
With increasing globalisation, nearly all have access to the Internet in the world today. Undoubtly, any information passed online will reach out to the millions within a day. It is undeniable that social networking sites have becoming more popular among people from all walks of life.
To me, I find flash mobs rather interesting and attractive. Something new and shocking will definitely attract many to view online. However, I would like to bring the attention to some who used flash mobs for other unacceptable motives. I have seen some using it for property damage and some personal assaults. Since it is virtual scene to be viewed online, basically no one is able to control over the actions of those in the flash mobs. Nonetheless, this can become the next generation threat which has to be attended to in years to come. However, flash mobs serve its purpose of advertising to the large crowd via many mediums like telecommunications, social media and viral emails.
Perhaps we should look into the other aspects of flash mobs. The issue with flashmob is that it does attract attention but do people get the necessary messages? In addition to that, how are you sure that your target audience is in that particular area? Sometimes as interesting as it gets, it may create misunderstandings. Just like the flash mob of the ” Bear on the run” in Singapore, it invited more criticism than praise because the public really thought it was a real bear. Is that what an organization want the media to focus on or rather the original message? It is still food for thought.
Interesting. I didn’t know that criminals would make use of flash mob events to carry out a crime. This only proves to show how dangerous the media really is. What started as a cultural phenomenon spread through the use of the media has now turned into an event where stealing can be committed. Granted this many not be the original reason during the inception of this event but criminals are known for exploiting anything in society. Therefore, things need to be done in order to stop this.