Using Mind Control On A Mob Mentality

I was watching a TV show on how groups of strangers come together to become a riotous mob. What I saw was clearly an altered state of group consciousness.

"None of us is dumber than all of us." - Anonymous

Being the deviant thinker that I am I immediately asked "How could this mob mentality be used and exploited?"

The first step is to do an analysis of the dynamic.

The members of the mob share one thing in common.

Of these you can see that some of it comes about from having a common enemy.

* Anger over a vetoed bill
* Soccer fan angry at an opposing team

But others have more benevolent common factors

* a vacation beach
* a victory rally for their local sports team
* the start of a peaceful demonstration

For the individual participants who become "the mob" and operate outside of their normal behaviors there are some common qualities that can be isolated.

* They have an opportunity to freely express their most base emotions while being protected by the anonymity of "the crowd".
* A very small group (sometimes only one person) of these most active participants tend to elicit participation from others.
* Alcohol is often a factor further loosening inhibitions that turn someone over to mob control.

Another factor to consider is that counter measures to control the mob (Riot police banging night sticks against Plexiglas shields, for example) often bring about an escalation in mob violence. This is especially true when the police represent the oppressive government the group is protesting against.

This is of course just a hypothetical conjecture but how could one use these factors to create a mob that would do what you wanted?

First the outcome should be clearly stated. Because mob mentality is almost the level of an idiot one must set the bar pretty low and make clear simple tasks that one would only do behind the cover of anonymity. These don't have to be malicious acts but malicious act are easier to create.

The Steps for Mob Mind Control

1. Have a clear and simple outcome for your mob to perform. Don't tell them ahead of time.

2. Create a shared experience in a location where the action should take place.

3. Create a heightened emotional state in the group. Anger is an easy state to elicit but more positive states can work as well.

4. Isolate potential mob leaders who would more freely act if protected by anonymity of the crowd.

5. Call to action. Make it simple.

6. Keep the group together.

7. As the mob actions escalates others can be brought in by rumor exchange. Given the group dynamic by introducing an emotional rumor, true or not, other more docile members of the group can be called in to contact with the front lines. Screaming "