Near the end of 2020 two things dominated the news: Donald Trump's campaign and online harassment mobs. Online mobs haven't historically been an immediate association with US Presidential campaigns, no matter how close or heated. This time, the election was tainted by cyberbullies, racists, and Kremlin influence.
Social media has changed the way crowds behave. Mobs, demagogues, and populist movements aren’t new but social media can turn irregular, transient events into a persistent social landscape.
Crowds and Power is a 1960 study of crowd psychology, belonging, and power grabs. Canetti paints a picture of how humans form masses, mobs, and packs fueled by paranoia and the urge to destroy. It’s an intense study of human behaviour.
Canetti's book alleges negative encounters with the unknown. Unknown substances and unknown beings may injure you. Without fear of the unknown, an animal would have died young. But in a crowd, fear dissipates. Strangers no longer scare people. They enrage them.
Canetti categorises crowds as open or closed. Open crowds are magnetic and naturally draw in newcomers to flourish. Open masses frequently gather to destroy. They fade away when they lose their ability to attract fresh energy and stop expanding. Closed crowds, on the other hand, are smaller-scale but permanent. They have boundaries and in/out groups. In order to survive, closed crowds forsake spontaneity and organic growth. Closed crowds can become open crowds as the excitement spikes and more people pour in. Otherwise, closed crowds become institutions.
Crowds share traits. First, there is always a shared goal. A second problem is that members feel continually assaulted from within and without. Combating the “other” benefits the purpose and the crowd. It is more risky to assault from within. False flag conspiracy theories, spies in the crowd, and “X in name only” are examples. It's risky to challenge the established opinion in a closed crowd.
In a mob, all are equal. The wealth disparity is momentarily bridged. So long as there is a crowd there will be a pleasant, joyful feeling of fellowship. To avoid the unpleasant, socially stratified, drifting world of “real life,” the crowd will accept any direction, any purpose, any antagonist.
