And suddenly the real use of online flash-mobs becomes clear: stealing junk from convenience stores. Yesterday, a group of about 28 “young people,” believed to have coordinated online, cleaned out a Maryland convenience store in under a a minute. The police have attempted online identification, but no arrests have been made.
Because the authorities don’t know how the internet works, I guess?
Says CNN:
Surveillance video shows a couple of teens walking into the Germantown 7-Eleven store Saturday at 1:47 a.m. Then, in a matter of seconds, dozens more young people entered and grabbed items from store shelves and coolers. Police said the teens left the store together, without paying for anything.
I mean, yes, this is a less interesting use of social network mobbing than, say, crowdsourcing the London clean-up, but y’know. More lucrative.
[Source : CNN]
