# Flash Mobs -- SF term makes it to real life!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-mobs-sf-term-makes-it-to-real-life/193881>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 8, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-mobs-sf-term-makes-it-to-real-life/193881 "2003-08-08T18:56:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-mobs-sf-term-makes-it-to-real-life/193881/1 "2003-08-08T18:56:43Z")

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Another term from science fiction has apparently made it to Real Life. The phenomenon of “Flash Mobs” :

> **[flash crowd - Word Spy](https://wordspy.com/index.php?word=flash-crowd)**
>
> A sharp and often overwhelming increase in the number of users attempting to access a website simultaneously, usually in response to some event or announcement.

> **[Splatt.it - la voce del web](https://www.splatt.it/)**
>
> Splatt.it, sito di guide di qualsiasi genere e categoria. Il tuttologo del web è qui.

has made the news. As a long-time Larry Niven reader, I recognize the term as coming from his story “Flash Crowd”, which describes an effect of cheap teleportation – people crowd to areas of high interest, creating sudden crowds that disperse rapidly.

Apparently the concept circulasted via the internet, where it was used to describe on-line crowing of heavily hyped events:

> **[Splatt.it - la voce del web](https://www.splatt.it/)**
>
> Splatt.it, sito di guide di qualsiasi genere e categoria. Il tuttologo del web è qui.

and from there entered “Real Life” when people decided to _really_ “mob” events (although communicating and coordinating intent via the Internet).

The first time I’ve seen an SF term enter common jargon in a long time. Maybe we’re due for some more.

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-mobs-sf-term-makes-it-to-real-life/193881/2 "2003-08-08T19:03:26Z")

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Yeah. As long as the term isn’t “Soylent Green”… 🙂

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flash-mobs-sf-term-makes-it-to-real-life/193881/3 "2003-08-08T19:04:53Z")

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[http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030808/wr\_nm/life\_mob\_dc\_4](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030808/wr_nm/life_mob_dc_4)