Collective Identity and Belonging

One of the most fundamental motivators for protest participation is a sense of collective identity. People are more likely to engage in protests when they feel connected to a group that shares their values, beliefs, and goals. This collective identity provides a sense of belonging, which is a core human need. Protesting alongside others who share the same cause reinforces a feeling of unity and mutual support, strengthening the resolve to act.

This sense of belonging often transcends individual concerns, fostering a feeling that personal struggles are part of a larger societal issue. Whether it’s economic inequality, racial injustice, or climate change, protesters often frame their involvement as part of a broader fight. This alignment with a collective cause provides emotional and psychological reinforcement, making participation in rallies feel like a meaningful and necessary action.

Moral Conviction and Injustice

Moral conviction is another key psychological driver behind protests. When individuals believe deeply that an issue is morally wrong, they are more likely to act, even at great personal cost. This moral outrage often stems from a perceived injustice, whether it’s discrimination, environmental degradation, or governmental corruption. Research shows that when people feel that their core values are under threat, they experience strong emotional responses like anger, which can motivate them to protest.

Protesting can serve as an outlet for this moral anger, offering a way for individuals to voice their frustration and demand change. This is particularly true when people feel powerless in other areas of life. A protest provides an opportunity to take direct action, allowing individuals to feel as though they are contributing to the resolution of a problem. The perception that one is fighting for a morally righteous cause can enhance the personal significance of the protest, fueling a strong sense of purpose and determination.

Social Influence and Peer Pressure

Social influence plays a substantial role in motivating protest participation. Many people attend rallies because they see others—friends, family members, or community leaders—doing the same. This effect is heightened by social networks, both offline and online, where individuals are often exposed to others who share their beliefs. In many cases, the decision to attend a protest is shaped by the actions of one’s peers. When people see those close to them participating, they are more likely to join in themselves.

Social media has further amplified this effect by making protests more visible and accessible. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow individuals to see who is attending protests, how large they are, and what the outcomes may be. Social media also facilitates a form of virtual peer pressure, where individuals feel compelled to participate because their friends and followers are advocating for the same causes.

Additionally, the visibility of protests on social media can create a sense of urgency or “fear of missing out” (FOMO). When people see large crowds at a protest, it creates a perception that something significant is happening, which can motivate others to join. This snowball effect, where the visibility of participation encourages even more participation, is one reason why some protests rapidly grow in size.

Personal Experience and Empathy

Many individuals are motivated to protest because they have a personal connection to the issue at hand. For example, someone who has experienced racial discrimination may be more likely to participate in an anti-racism rally. Personal experiences with injustice or suffering can create a deep sense of empathy, not only for oneself but for others in similar situations. This empathy can be a powerful motivator, as it drives individuals to advocate for change, not just for themselves but for the broader community.

Empathy also plays a role in protest participation when people are moved by the stories or experiences of others. Even if an individual has not personally experienced the issue, hearing about the struggles of others can evoke strong emotional responses that motivate action. This is particularly true when the protest cause is framed as addressing widespread harm, such as environmental destruction or human rights violations. Protesters may feel a sense of duty to stand in solidarity with those who are suffering, driven by a desire to alleviate collective pain and advocate for justice.

Efficacy and Empowerment

Another critical factor in protest participation is the belief that one’s actions can make a difference. This sense of efficacy—believing that attending a rally will have a meaningful impact—is essential for motivating individuals to take action. When people believe that their participation can contribute to change, they are more likely to protest. Conversely, if individuals feel that protests are futile, they are less likely to get involved.

Protests can also be empowering, particularly for marginalized groups who often feel excluded from traditional political processes. For these individuals, attending a rally provides an opportunity to have their voices heard, to challenge authority, and to demand recognition. The act of standing up to power can be inherently empowering, even if the immediate outcomes are uncertain. Protesting can restore a sense of control in a situation where individuals or groups feel otherwise powerless, providing a sense of agency and hope.

Emotional Catharsis and Collective Energy

Protests often serve as a form of emotional catharsis, allowing individuals to release pent-up feelings of frustration, anger, or despair. The collective energy of a rally can be emotionally exhilarating, as participants feed off the energy of the crowd. This shared experience can create a powerful emotional bond among protesters, reinforcing their commitment to the cause and their belief in the possibility of change.

The sense of unity and collective energy is particularly strong in large-scale protests. When people see thousands of others advocating for the same cause, it creates a feeling of solidarity and shared purpose. This collective energy can also reduce feelings of isolation or helplessness, replacing them with a sense of hope and optimism. Protests can transform individual emotions of anger or frustration into a shared vision for the future, providing emotional validation and support.

Identity Expression and Public Visibility

For many individuals, protests provide an opportunity to express their identity and values in a public way. Participation in a protest is not just about advocating for a cause; it is also about signaling one’s beliefs, morals, and political identity to others. This public expression of identity is particularly important in movements centered around social justice or civil rights, where individuals may feel that their very identities are under threat.

By attending a protest, individuals signal to themselves and others that they are part of a movement, aligning their personal identity with the broader goals of the protest. This form of identity expression can strengthen an individual’s connection to the cause, increasing their likelihood of continued involvement in future actions.

Additionally, the visibility of protests allows participants to draw attention to issues that might otherwise be overlooked. Public demonstrations often attract media attention, which can amplify the voices of those who feel marginalized or ignored. Protesters may be motivated by the belief that their participation will bring attention to a cause and pressure policymakers or authorities to act.

Conclusion

The psychology of protest is shaped by a wide range of emotional, social, and cognitive factors. From the sense of belonging that comes with collective identity to the moral outrage that drives individuals to act, the decision to participate in a protest is often deeply personal and socially reinforced. Understanding these psychological motivations is key to appreciating why protests are such powerful drivers of societal change.

The post Psychology of Protest: What Motivates People at Rallies? appeared first on Occupylsx.

The Immediate Eсonomiс Impaсt of Strikes

The most direсt and immediate impaсt of a national strike is the disruption of produсtion and serviсes. Industries suсh as manufaсturing, transportation, and publiс serviсes сome to a near standstill, сausing immediate drops in produсtivity and eсonomiс output. For example, the 1926 General Strike in the United Kingdom saw over 1.5 million workers leave their jobs in response to wage reduсtions and worsening сonditions in the mining industry. The strike paralyzed publiс transport and shipments of goods, leading to a signifiсant but temporary eсonomiс downturn.

The eсonomiс сost of suсh disruptions сan be immense. Businesses faсe losses due to reduсed produсtivity and the inability to trade normally, whiсh сan lead to further reperсussions suсh as lower stoсk priсes, loss of investor сonfidenсe, and reduсed сonsumer spending. In some сases, the eсonomiс impaсt сan сasсade through the eсonomy, affeсting industries not direсtly involved in the strike.

Long-Term Eсonomiс Effeсts

While the immediate effeсts of national strikes are mostly negative, the long-term impaсts сan be more nuanсed. Historiсally, national strikes have forсed governments and businesses to address the underlying issues that led to the strike. This has often resulted in improved wages, better working сonditions, and the implementation of new labor laws, whiсh сan benefit the eсonomy by inсreasing worker produсtivity and morale.

For instanсe, the aftermath of the 1968 national strike in Franсe, where workers demanded higher pay and better working сonditions, led to a series of government reforms. These inсluded higher minimum wages and better health and safety regulations in workplaсes. These сhanges not only improved the standard of living for many workers but also helped stabilize the Frenсh eсonomy in the long run by fostering a more satisfied and produсtive workforсe.

Politiсal and Soсial Reperсussions

National strikes often have signifiсant politiсal сonsequenсes. They сan weaken governments, influenсe eleсtions, and lead to major shifts in publiс poliсy. The politiсal response to strikes сan further influenсe eсonomiс outсomes. For example, the 1980 Solidarity movement in Poland not only сhallenged the сommunist government’s poliсies but also initiated a sequenсe of events that led to the eventual fall of сommunism in Eastern Europe, signifiсantly altering the eсonomiс landsсape.

Governments may respond to strikes by deploying measures to stimulate the eсonomy or by introduсing austerity measures to balanсe publiс aссounts, eaсh having distinсt eсonomiс impaсts. Effeсtive government response to strikes, addressing both the grievanсes of the strikers and the broader eсonomiс сhallenges, сan determine the speed and strength of eсonomiс reсovery post-strike.

Lessons from History

1. Negotiation and Dialogue: History shows that open dialogue and negotiation between workers, unions, and governments сan mitigate the negative impaсts of strikes. Effeсtive сommuniсation сan lead to resolutions that address workers’ сonсerns without extensive eсonomiс disruption.
2. Preventive Poliсies: Proaсtive labor poliсies that address potential points of сontention, suсh as wage disparity, working сonditions, and workers’ rights, сan prevent the need for strikes. Сountries with strong labor rights and negotiation frameworks often experienсe fewer disruptive strikes.
3. Eсonomiс Diversifiсation: Eсonomies that are heavily reliant on a few key industries are more vulnerable to the effeсts of national strikes. Diversifiсation сan help mitigate these risks by reduсing the eсonomy’s dependenсe on any single seсtor.
4. Rapid Response: The ability of a government to respond quiсkly and effeсtively to a strike, both in terms of negotiation and eсonomiс poliсy, сan signifiсantly lessen the event’s negative impaсts.

Сonсlusion

National strikes are a powerful reminder of the balanсe required between labor and management, and between government poliсy and eсonomiс health. While they сan сause signifiсant eсonomiс disruption in the short term, their long-term effeсts depend greatly on how the underlying issues are addressed. Historiсal instanсes underline the importanсe of dialogue, fair labor praсtiсes, and responsive governanсe in mitigating the adverse effeсts of strikes and harnessing them as opportunities for positive eсonomiс and soсial reform. Understanding these dynamiсs is сruсial for poliсymakers, businesses, and workers alike as they navigate the сomplexities of modern labor relations.

The post Eсonomiс Impaсt of National Strikes: Lessons from History appeared first on Occupylsx.

Their disagreement with those or other actions, their disapproval they express with the help of such movements. Reactions to social situations can be both negative and positive, but the first option is certainly more common. For people it is a good way to protect their interests, to convey the opinion of society to the authorities. It is necessary to go to rallies to demonstrate your non-indifference.

History of protests
The history of protests dates back to ancient times with people who longed for freedom. The first such movements were organized against the Vietnam War and took place in 1965. Their main goal was peace. Particularly zealous Protestants were even killed.

The Paris Revolution of 1830, which overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and set the stage for other uprisings, could also be considered a protest. So can the general strike of the Chartists that happened in 1842, along with the strike of the English miners in 1984-1985.

Protest is a form of disagreement with circumstances, accessible to people of all ages, including schoolchildren. This fact is confirmed by the 1976 Soweto School strike. Students were protesting against the introduction of instruction in Afrikaans. As a result, this action led to the launch of a major movement, led by Nelson Mandela.

Nor should we forget the protest organized by Emily Wilding Davidson at the derby on June 4, 1913. She fought for women’s rights, and as a result died under the hooves of a royal horse.

The Kronstadt Uprising of 1921 included strikes and rallies of workers. Many anarchists died or were repressed at the time.

In February 2003 there were worldwide anti-war protests.

Reasons for the protests
People start rioting when they think the restrictions imposed are unreasonable.

The reasons for the protests vary and include:

-Social inequality;
-Lack of political stability;
-discrimination.

The most frequent protests are of a political nature, in the course of which they appeal to public authorities. Their goal is to change the situation and even a complete change of regime, a struggle for an idea.

Protests that are directed against social inequalities, affect existing social problems, are often of an economic nature, can turn into a political form.

There are also cultural protests, they concern various events in cultural life. For example, not so long ago people protested against the demonstration of the film “The Da Vinci Code”.

Protest mechanisms
Not only the forms, but also the mechanisms of protests are different. They can be peaceful or violent. The former are considered to be more effective, provided that at least 3.5% of the population takes part in them.

Popular forms of expressing one’s will, meaning disagreement with the situation, include meetings, strikes, demonstrations, pickets. There are also campaigns of civil disobedience. Quite often there are strikes, sometimes including hunger strikes.

It is necessary for organizers of social protest actions to understand clearly what tasks are to be solved at their expense and what support from society can be given to them. The ultimate success depends on it.

Protest can be a vote, a flash mob, a boycott.

People write petitions, go on strike, sabotage, and block the roads.

The effectiveness of such events varies greatly depending on the number of participants, the form of the protest, and the place where it is held.

Current examples of protests
Modern examples of protests concern untimely payment of wages, pensions, social benefits, various political reforms.

In addition, there were protests against the increase in the retirement age, but they did not yield anything.

After the start of the USO, information about anti-war protests began to appear, in some cities, people set fire to military and administrative buildings.

For citizens, protests are an opportunity to publicly express their will to change the current situation. People unite to loudly say “no” to certain actions, to attract the attention of the authorities.

The post Why would people go to protests? appeared first on Occupylsx.

An inner protest may also arise when another bet at the casino https://onlinecasinozonder.com/ fails. His friends convince him to stop playing, but he protests because he wants to continue and does not want to be the loser.

Protest behavior involves actions that involve denial of the reality around him. People in this way fight against the infringement of their own rights, demonstrate a vivid desire to achieve a set goal, the fulfillment of a desire.

Considering the topic of what an internal protest is, we can say that it is a kind of stubbornness, overcoming fear and insecurity. The unwillingness to be submissive, the rejection of habitual forms of behavior.

What is internal protest and why is it important for personal growth?

A wave of disagreement rises within a person, some consider it a kind of personal crisis. Such actions and emotions can be directed both at other people and at oneself.

Internal protest is important for personal growth, it helps to overcome insecurity. Often it forces self-improvement, acquiring new knowledge. This applies to situations where a person protests against low wages or a harmful boss and begins to learn to change jobs.

One of the most striking manifestations of protests is at the age of three. But this behavior is typical not only for children, but also for adults.

A person begins to protest if he or she is subjected to total control. Most often in such a situation are teenagers who are too much controlled by their parents.

Adults may protest internally if their bosses want to transfer the responsibilities of another employee who is sick or on vacation to them. And this disagreement is not always voiced to management. Often the employee takes on additional responsibilities, protesting internally, fearing to spoil relations with the boss. As a result, irritation accumulates, anxiety levels rise, and the emotional state deteriorates.

Many people suffer from their own desire for total control. Spend their energy and time trying to influence other people, the world around them and everything that happens in it. It is impossible to control everything, but not everyone realizes this. In some cases, you just have to accept the situation, such as when a flight is delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

How to find your voice and be heard yourself: practical tips and techniques

It is important to hear your inner voice, there are some practical tips and techniques that can help with this.

Identify your values and beliefs

To hear yourself, your desires, you need to define your individual values and beliefs, they are different for different people. Sometimes these same values imposed by society. It is necessary to sort yourself out, to set the right priorities in life.

Learn to express their needs and desires.

Many people suppress their own needs and desires – it does not lead to anything good. If you do this constantly, it is inevitable that you will feel dissatisfied with yourself and your own life. It is important to love yourself and not compromise your own interests for the sake of others.

Work on your self-esteem and confidence

A large number of people need to work on their self-esteem and confidence. Low self-esteem causes a lot of problems in life, prevents building relationships and moving up the career ladder. There are examples when people work on low-paying jobs because they are not confident in themselves, although in fact they could achieve more.

Learn to express your thoughts and feelings in a constructive way

It is not unreasonable to learn to express your own thoughts and feelings in a constructive way. Some people have a constant tendency to quarrels, because of this, they spoil relations with others. It is necessary to look for constructive ways to solve problems that arise. Disputes are almost always the desire to improve their self-esteem, self-assertion at someone else’s expense. Numerous conflicts become a source of stress. People waste their resources, they remain upset because they cannot express their thoughts and feelings in a constructive way.

Life is much easier for those who have learned to control their anger and other emotions. Reactions to the words and actions of others should not consist of aggression. Dwelling on negative situations, constantly scrolling through them in the head destroys the psyche. You shouldn’t feed the negativity inside yourself. It is important to gain control over your own life and emotions, so as not to harm yourself and those around you.

Inner protest is inseparable from personal development, sometimes it is worth giving an outlet with emotions, but much depends on the situation. Listen to yourself, don’t ignore your desires, don’t give in to anger and aggression, and strive for a constructive dialogue.

The post What is an internal protest? appeared first on Occupylsx.

Demonstration – organized public expression of public sentiments by a group of citizens with the use of posters, banners and other means of visual propaganda during the movement.

A procession is a mass gathering of citizens along a pre-determined route to draw attention to a certain problem.

Holding a mass event under opposition slogans is a classical form of organized street protest. An opposition organization, in order to confirm its claims to participate in the process of making state decisions, claims to form government bodies, and to demonstrate public support for its ideas, is objectively determined to provide mass street support for its activities. Therefore, most opposition parties strive to organize at least a minimum number of truly mass demonstrations against the initiatives of the current government and in support of their own ideas during the year.

The preparation of a mass event concentrates on a number of basic organizational directions:

Determining the date of the event. The date is usually fixed to an anniversary, or to a certain informational occasion (such as the consideration in parliament of a legislative initiative against which the opposition is opposed), thus adding meaning to the date on which the event is scheduled. In addition, in order to maximize the turnout of activists and supporters, mass events are usually scheduled for weekends.

Coalition policy. It consists in involving allied political and social organizations in organizing the event by its initiator. As a result of the agreements, an organizing committee of the event is formed, which includes representatives of all the organizations that decided to participate, and who distribute organizational functions among themselves, determine the shares of financial participation in the formation of the budget of the event.

Mobilization of the Activists. To ensure that the street event is massive, it is necessary to prepare in such a way that a core of participants is formed from the activists of the organizing associations, i.e. people who will definitely take part in the event. It is activists who most often carry banners and flags, provide noise support for the event, while people who come to participate in the rally, but are not directly related to any of the organizations organizing it, usually prefer to behave more passively, limiting their participation to simply being among the participants.

It is preferable to gather the activists some time before the start of the event, and before people move to the protest action it is necessary to assign them to coordinators and conduct a general briefing.

Provision of media support can be organized by implementing the following organizational tasks:

• formation of a pool of information partners (organization of work with friendly opposition media, interested in covering the event, prompt provision of exclusive information to the editorial boards of the relevant media and placing announcements);
• placing advertising of the event in the media space (if the budget of the event allows for it, it is effective to place announcements of the event in non-political media on a commercial basis);
• Launch of the Internet site (interactive posting of information related to the preparation of the event on the Internet is a relatively inexpensive tool for rapid notification of both the media and interested citizens, supporters and activists);
• A press conference on the eve of the event (creation of an additional informational occasion, connected to a public appearance of leaders of organizations, holding a mass event, right before the event, will warm up the interest of both mass media and the public in the event).
• Distribution of campaign materials announcing the event is usually carried out through the following distribution channels:
• informational (“talking”) picket. It is displayed in places of mass accumulation of people (subway stations, platforms in front of the passages of universities, factories, etc.). Optimal time is the beginning and end of the working day. Number of participants – 2-3 people. Necessary attributes – symbols (flag, cape) and a poster with a bright, eye-catching poster placed on it. The essence of the information picket – distribution of leaflets to passers-by with an announcement of the upcoming mass event and personal invitation to take part in it;
• direct-mail (targeted mailing). Political and public organizations usually have bases of supporters, prepared, for example, in the course of pre-election or civil public-political campaigns. Mailing out personal invitations signed by the leader of the association to supporters can mobilize a significant portion of them to participate in the event;
• Distribution of informational leaflets through mailboxes is a classic method of fieldwork by public associations. The organizing committee should prepare a database of homes where it is planned to distribute leaflets through mailboxes. The database should contain the addresses of the houses, the number of apartments and entrance codes. Activists of the organizations organizing the event receive leaflets announcing the event and go through the entrances, putting them in the mailboxes. More or less serious effect from such method of distribution of the information is possible only at carrying out two waves of leaflets;
• spamming. Spam is an anonymous unsolicited mass mailing of e-mails, usually of advertising nature. The technological chain of spammers looks like this:
  • Collection and verification of recipients’ email addresses. Classification of the addresses by type;
  • Preparation of “mailing points”, i.e. computers, through which spam is going to be sent;
  • creation of software for sending spam;
  • searching for recipients;
  • creation of advertisements for a particular mailing;
  • mailing out.

The post Mass rally, demonstration, procession appeared first on Occupylsx.

Two main types of picketing can be distinguished:

1. informational (“talking”) picket.

The purpose is to disseminate information, e.g. about the upcoming mass event, about a meeting with a candidate for deputy, etc. Pickets are placed in places of concentration of large crowds of people – at “rush hours” near subway stations, at urban junctions, near railway stations and platforms, and during the day on weekends – at markets, at the entrance to city recreation parks, in the parks themselves, etc. Number of participants – 2-3 people. Required attributes: symbols (flag, cape) and a banner with a bright, eye-catching poster placed on it. According to the current Russian legislation, it is not required to submit a notice of an information picket on the eve of a mass event, since the Federal Law “On Meetings, Rallies, Marches and Pickets” gives citizens the right to disseminate information about a mass event held in accordance with this law. A picket at which invitations to a mass event are distributed should be regarded precisely as distribution of information.

2. Political picket.

The purpose is a statement of a political position, public expression of protest by a group of citizens and attraction of media and public attention to the problem raised. The difference between a political picket and a meeting, according to the current Russian legislation, is the absence of a stage and means of sound amplification. As a rule, political organizations hold pickets due to the fact that there is a need to respond promptly to a particular event in the political life of the country, and there is not enough time to prepare documentation for holding a meeting. The thing is that the notice of picketing is submitted to the authorities 3 days in advance, while the notice of marches and rallies is submitted 10 days in advance.

The main attributes of picketing: banners, posters, a folding table with handouts (newspapers, leaflets, calendars).

During the picketing citizens have the right to chant slogans, but do not have the right to use means of sound amplification.

The post Picketing appeared first on Occupylsx.

Happening is a trend in postmodernism that has moved from creating aesthetic objects to works-processes, that is, “artistic events” realized either by the artist himself or by his assistants and spectators acting according to his plan, which is also the name of the work-events or actions. Happenings are a kind of micro-performances with elements of plot and the presence of theatrical props, or more abstract rhythmic, dynamic or stable compositions. They invariably accentuate the free “space of the game,” which the viewer-participant must experience.

Performance is a type of visual art in the twentieth century in which the work is any action of the artist observed in real time. Unlike theater, in performance art the artist is usually the sole author; performance art is closer to the poetic reading and performance of a piece of music and can be defined as a public gesture (physical, verbal, behavioral, social, etc.).

Performance is radically different from a classical work of art, but it can emphasize different grounds for this difference – temporal duration, provocative, social, playful aspect, so performances can express completely different aesthetic programs.

The main difference between a happening and a performance is that in a happening the spectator is usually involved in the theatrical action, while a performance does not involve the spectator.

The purpose of the theatricalization of a street protest is to attract public and media interest in the event. Creative design of the protest action distinguishes the theatricalized protest action from the classical picketing with the same mass action.

A theatricalized protest action does not require special notification according to the current legislation and can be declared as a meeting or a picket.

The preparation of a theatricalized protest action takes place in several stages:

1. Proposal of the idea and creative concept of the action.
2. Gathering of potential participants of the action. Discussion of the idea of the action, determination of the date, place and time of the action. Formation of a working group for the preparation of the action and distribution of organizational functions among its participants. 3.
   3) Organizational work in preparation for the action: notification of the local authority, writing and sending a press release, working out the technical aspects.
3. General rehearsal of the event.
4. Action.
5. Gathering of the participants of the action, analysis of the results and results of the action.

The post Theatrical action appeared first on Occupylsx.

Usually, a “breakthrough” action is unsanctioned, and it is this factor that gives it a character of immediacy and spontaneity. Besides, quite often opposition organizations use technologies of “breakthrough” actions in connection with the necessity of an operative reaction to a certain political event, but there is not enough time to submit a notification to the authorities in accordance with the current legislation.

It is possible to form the following general model of an organized “breakthrough” protest:

1. Generation of the idea of the action.
2. Determination of the action plan, preparation and instruction of the participants.
3. Informing the press (announcement without specifying the essence and details of the event).
4. Appearance at a certain time and place of a certain number of political activists, producing pre-agreed actions.
5. After media representatives have recorded the “picture”, the activists scatter along a predetermined route in such a way that they are not detained by the police.
6. At the place where the “breakthrough” action is taking place, a representative of the organization holding the action appears as a “speaker” (a person authorized to communicate with the press) and gives the media representatives the necessary comments and answers questions.

The post “Breakthrough” action appeared first on Occupylsx.

Flash mob (flash-mob) literally translates from English as “instant crowd”. The essence of a flash mob is the instantaneous appearance of a certain number of people in a certain place, who act according to a certain scenario, that is, perform a certain order of action. With this the main feature of the flash mob is that the people taking part in it do not know each other, and the script has no specific purpose (while the “breakthrough” actions have a very specific political goals).

In the process of development the concept of “flash mob” has become broader. In different countries the phenomenon has acquired a special national flavor, different ways of notification are used, the actions are either exclusively entertaining or have special features: artistry, sociality, etc.

Today, the concept of “flash mob” is being blurred – largely due to the interest of the media, political forces and advertising producers – many actions using a large number of people and bright action are mistakenly referred to as “flash mob”.

However, it is possible to distinguish the following main characteristic features of the flash mob:

• people taking part in the action flash mob, mostly strangers to each other, are not members of the same public or political organization;
• the flash mob scenario does not have any specific goal;
• Flash mob is designed primarily for people who are direct witnesses of the flash mob action, and does not set as an end in itself the appearance of materials about the action in the media;
• The unexpectedness and spontaneity of the participants’ appearance at the place of the action.

Thus, it can be noted that the main characteristic features of the flash-mob contradict the logic of the political protest, the features of which are the following

• political protest is held, as a rule, either by the activists of a particular political movement, or supporters of certain political ideas;
• political protests have quite specific political objectives and are held mainly to achieve these objectives;
• political protests are designed to reach as wide an audience as possible (i.e., people who learn that the action in question was carried out) and are therefore not primarily aimed at the witnesses to the action, but at members of the press;
• Protest actions are planned in advance and, unlike flash mobs, lack the effect of spontaneity (this applies even to “breakthrough” actions), because journalists are necessarily invited to the scene in advance.

The post Political flash mob appeared first on Occupylsx.