Techies get organized.
12/22/2003
More a sociological forecast than business tome, Smart Mobs nonetheless should be of interest to any marketer wondering how to reach young, intelligent consumers in the not-too-distant future. Rheingold believes that the wave of wireless instant communications devices such cell phones, Wi-Fi networks, pagers, and PDAs are the communications underpinnings used to organize social groups in new ways. For example, in 2001, tens of thousands of Manila residents were coordinated in political dissent by organizers using wireless text messaging. "President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines became the first head of state in history to lose power to a smart mob," says Rheingold. The business angle is that understanding the technology and the sociological ramifications of smart mobs can be an interesting entrée into new markets. Just ask the "ladies of the evening," who, Rheingold says, broadcast their term sheets to aware wireless devices in the area. This is an interesting, if sometimes over-the-top collection of quotes, insights, and ideas from an original thinker.