leaderless

Last class I went back and forth between understanding what our professor was saying and what the guy who sits on the left was saying. These "smart mobs" may not have a leader, as in a face that everyone turns to or the typical hierarchal structure like most organizations- but they do have a catalyst person. Without this person, there would be no buzz about what to do, where to go etc. People would not even know that there was something going on. I think that it is important to note that this catalyst person does not intend for whatever small event they are responsible for spurring to turn into a large event or to gain as much momentum as it does. It kind of reminds me of the movie Easy A - when the main character tells her best friend a lie and before she knows it, there is a rumor going around the whole school. The connection is pretty weak, but just the unintentional snowballing effect is similar. The leader might not be essential to a "smart mob" but a catalyst person is crucial, otherwise these mobs would never come into existence. Without the first person sending the "wear black" text message, nobody would have known to do anything.