Introduction to Crowd Management - Key Concepts

Introduction to Crowd Management

• Crowd management is a complex subject
• This chapter introduces key characteristics of crowd behaviour

Crowd Behaviour Characteristics

• Anonymity:
  • Crowds motivate each other to follow behaviour
  • The spread of behaviour is contagious, like a virus.
  • This behaviour is interactional amplification
• Suggestibility:
  • Individuals in a crowd are highly suggestible, as if hypnotized
  • They respond strongly to suggestions, especially from crowd leaders
  • This results in unpredictable behaviour.
• Contagion:
  • A crowd is likely to motivate each other to follow behaviour.
  • The spread of behaviour is contagious, like a virus, spreading from one person to another.
  • This behaviour is defined as "interactional amplification"
• Emotionality:
  • Crowds often forget the situation and act emotionally
  • Behaviour is typically impulsive
  • Participants become highly emotional in crowds when inhibitions are forgotten
• Loosely Structured:
  • Crowd behaviour isn't rigidly prescribed by rules, procedures, or frameworks
  • It allows flexibility, improvisation, and adaptability in various situations
  • It's characterized by open-ended approaches, minimal constraints, and freedom to make decisions
• Unpredictability:
  • Crowd behaviour is difficult to predict, especially in an action-based crowd
  • Behaviour often mirrors packs or herds of lower animals
  • Actions become unpredictable due to uncritical following of suggestions from others
• Impersonality:
  • Impersonal behaviour lacks emotional ties or connections
  • It means treating individuals or situations objectively and neutrally without bias or personal feelings
  • Individuality is often diminished in a crowd, with a loss of individual restraints and personal responsibility.