17 ms·

I'm so glad this story is not true.

nailer 16y ago
Indeed. The 'they don't know where to go, as they can't get to Google Maps' also doesn't ring true - if the police are arriving, I suggest most people would move away from the police, whether they can get to Google maps or not.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
  Odds on the police would use "kettle" tactics, so there would be nowhere to go away from them. It's not true, it hasn't happened. Yet.
  - semanticist 16y ago
    I believe the Met. are using that much less now, since the whole fiasco with the G20 protests in 2009.
  - nailer 16y ago
    Its a flash mob, not a protest. The police would likely ask the mob to forest the area, as
torme 16y ago
I'm a little confused about which elements here are true actually. Did he piece together pieces of factual history to create a plausible scenario? And if so, was there ever a flash mob that resulted in a riot which lead to 23 deaths?
- tvon 16y ago
  So far as I can tell it's entirely fictional.
- petercooper 16y ago
  The point is that, individually, there are precedents for each part of the story, not that they have all been tied together before. One of the graphics near the end illustrates this.
  - cracell 16y ago
    The 23 deaths part is a huge stretch though. There's been a few noted injuries at such mobs when turned riot but I can't even find an example of a single death from a flash mob type gathering.
    - mikeryan 16y ago
      There have definitely been riots however which have lead to deaths. Flash Mob -> Riot has happened, Riot --> Deaths have happened. Flash Mob -> Riot -> Deaths not yet.
    - petercooper 16y ago
      Sure, it's definitely a stretch. He was a bit hyperbolic (as with the getting lost due to having no 3G bit). I can't think of any riot with more than a handful of deaths in a western country over the last 20 years (?)
      - trotsky 16y ago
        In all, 53 people died during the riots and thousands more were injured. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots (Just a history lesson. I agree with you that it's a huge stretch)
      - jrmg 16y ago
        I'd say the "getting lost due to having no 3G bit" was one of the /least/ hyperbolic things - I can imagine that happening to me pretty easily nowadays.
- mikeryan 16y ago
  If you pause it at 4:59 he cites (on screen) the partial events which could be combined to the single event Upload to live news < 24 Hours - Epic Beard Man Short Notice Flash Mob - Mass Moonwalk 2009 Personal Details Leak - Alex Wuori 2007 Flash Mob to Riot - Gallery Mall Mob 2010
cantbecool 16y ago
I could definitely imagine something like this happening. It's awfully scary how technology can be used for unintended, malevolent purposes.

Indeed. The 'they don't know where to go, as they can't get to Google Maps' also doesn't ring true - if the police are arriving, I suggest most people would move away from the police, whether they can get to Google maps or not.

RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
Odds on the police would use "kettle" tactics, so there would be nowhere to go away from them. It's not true, it hasn't happened. Yet.
- semanticist 16y ago
  I believe the Met. are using that much less now, since the whole fiasco with the G20 protests in 2009.
- nailer 16y ago
  Its a flash mob, not a protest. The police would likely ask the mob to forest the area, as

torme 16y ago

I'm a little confused about which elements here are true actually. Did he piece together pieces of factual history to create a plausible scenario? And if so, was there ever a flash mob that resulted in a riot which lead to 23 deaths?

tvon 16y ago
So far as I can tell it's entirely fictional.
petercooper 16y ago
The point is that, individually, there are precedents for each part of the story, not that they have all been tied together before. One of the graphics near the end illustrates this.
- cracell 16y ago
  The 23 deaths part is a huge stretch though. There's been a few noted injuries at such mobs when turned riot but I can't even find an example of a single death from a flash mob type gathering.
  - mikeryan 16y ago
    There have definitely been riots however which have lead to deaths. Flash Mob -> Riot has happened, Riot --> Deaths have happened. Flash Mob -> Riot -> Deaths not yet.
  - petercooper 16y ago
    Sure, it's definitely a stretch. He was a bit hyperbolic (as with the getting lost due to having no 3G bit). I can't think of any riot with more than a handful of deaths in a western country over the last 20 years (?)
    - trotsky 16y ago
      In all, 53 people died during the riots and thousands more were injured. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots (Just a history lesson. I agree with you that it's a huge stretch)
    - jrmg 16y ago
      I'd say the "getting lost due to having no 3G bit" was one of the /least/ hyperbolic things - I can imagine that happening to me pretty easily nowadays.
mikeryan 16y ago
If you pause it at 4:59 he cites (on screen) the partial events which could be combined to the single event Upload to live news < 24 Hours - Epic Beard Man Short Notice Flash Mob - Mass Moonwalk 2009 Personal Details Leak - Alex Wuori 2007 Flash Mob to Riot - Gallery Mall Mob 2010

cantbecool 16y ago

I could definitely imagine something like this happening. It's awfully scary how technology can be used for unintended, malevolent purposes.