An anonymous BwogStaffer ponders whether it is possible to have a flash mob while social distancing. 

While Zooming into my Econ lecture, I had a strong desire to chant the name of a fellow student in the class. I resisted this urge, however, it got me thinking…would chanting this student’s name be the equivalent of a flash mob over Zoom or would it require a visual component as well? What would a flash mob over Zoom even look like? Could you even maintain the element of surprise necessary for a successful flash mob? Could one person have a flash mob by themselves or would that just be a dance?

I’m just so confused. 

I began to research these questions. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a flash mob is a “group of people summoned (as by e-mail or text message) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action before dispersing.” This definition, makes it seem like a flash mob could work on a platform like Zoom.

Theoretically, I could send an email to a group of people with choreography like “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Gangnam Style,” or even the “Savage” TikTok dance, a particular time, and a location (a Zoom call). While on the Zoom call, these participants could all break out into dance and then immediately exit the call. I believe this synchronized exit could maintain the element of surprise I admire most about a flash mob. However, it seems highly unlikely that I would be able to get a large group of people to participate–I believe that it would just be me dancing alone (it would not be a flash mob but simply a dance) which might be amusing to others but highly embarrassing for myself.

Note: Bwog is not endorsing interrupting a class or a lecture for a flash mob over Zoom but instead ponders whether it is even possible.

some people not having a flash mob via Bwarchives