COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOUR

COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOUR: Collective behavior is a term sociologists use

to refer to a miscellaneous set of behaviors in which large numbers of
people engage.

Types of collective behavior:

 CROWD BEHAVIOUR:
According to Kimball Young, “A crowd is a gathering of a considerable number of
persons around a center or point of common attraction.”
  
According to Britt, “A crowd involves a temporary physical gathering of people
experiencing much of the same reaction from the same stimuli.”
 Contrill says, “Crowd is a congregate group of individuals who have temporarily
identified themselves with common values and who are expressing similar
emotions.” We attend the theatre and game events with large people and that is
known as crowd.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES:

1. For example, think about human behavior during Hurricane Katrina. New
Orleans was decimated and people were trapped without supplies or a
way to evacuate. In these extraordinary circumstances, what outsiders
saw as “looting” was defined by those involved as seeking needed
supplies for survival. Normally, individuals would not wade into a corner
gas station and take canned goods without paying, but given that they
were suddenly in a greatly changed situation, they established a norm
that they felt was reasonable.
2. A real-life example of these conditions occurred after the fatal police
shooting of teenager Michael Brown, an unarmed eighteen-year-old
African American, in Ferguson, MO on August 9, 2014. The shooting
drew national attention almost immediately. A large group of mostly black,
local residents assembled in protest—a classic example of structural
conduciveness. When the community perceived that the police were not
acting in the people’s interest and were withholding the name of the
officer, structural strain became evident. A growing generalized belief
evolved as the crowds of protesters were met with heavily armed police in
military-style protective uniforms accompanied by an armored vehicle.
 The precipitating factor of the arrival of the police spurred greater
collective behavior as the residents mobilized by assembling a parade
down the street. Ultimately they were met with tear gas, pepper spray,
and rubber bullets used by the police acting as agents of social control.
The element of social control escalated over the following days until
August 18, when the governor called in the National Guard.

NATIONAL EXAMPLES:
1. After complete lockdown of few months the markets were opened on the
occasion of Eid ul Fitr in Pakistan. It was reported that on the first working day
after easing of lockdown, huge crowds were seen in commercial areas across
the provincial capital, setting aside all government instructions regarding social
distancing. Areas around wholesale markets in Karachi saw heavy traffic jams,
and there were also big crowds in the commercial centers of Lahore and Quetta.
Zainab market in Saddar , Karachi was fully crowded by the people for Eid
shopping. No SOP’s were observed .This caused the government to take an
immediate step to shutdown the area.

2. People crowded outside offices of the National Database and Registration

Authority across the country in huge numbers on Monday after the institution
reopened its offices after more than a month. Most people who visited the offices
were recipients of the Ehsaas Cash Program. They were at NADRA to get issues
regarding their fingerprints and national identity cards resolved so that they could
receive the Rs12,000 in cash through the program. The people however, failed to
comply with rules of social distancing while waiting outside the offices. According
to witnesses, they did not wear gloves or masks and stood very close to each
other. The authority has drawn circles outside its offices to help the public with
distancing, but no one adhered to them. According to the NADRA spokesperson,
people had been strictly told to call the authority helpline, 7000, get an
appointment and then visit the centers. “Most people here have turned up without
doing that,” he said.
 TYPES OF CROWD BEHAVIOUR:

 A mob—intensely emotional crowds that commits or is ready to

commit violence—is a primary example of an acting crowd. It is a
crowd that has become frantic. They have their own leaders. The
term, mob, is from the same root word as mobile, and designates a
crowd that is rapidly moving, not always in the pursuit of a given
object, but one that easily shifts its attention. The ease with which a
crowd may be turned into a mob on a moment's notice is significant.
The point is well illustrated by the experiences of William McDougall in
Borneo, who witnessed a crowd of 5000 primitives turned
adventitiously and almost instantly into an angry mob of
uncontrollable fury.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES:
1. The storming of the Bastile in 1789 was done by a mob which
expressed the public desire for social, economic, and political
justice. At dawn on July 14, a great crowd armed with
muskets, swords, and various makeshift weapons began to
gather around the Bastille. Launay’s men were able to hold
the mob back, but as more and more Parisians were
converging on the Bastille, Launay raised a white flag of
surrender over the fortress. Launay and his men were taken
into custody, the Bastille’s gunpowder and cannons were
seized, and the seven prisoners were freed. Upon arriving at
the Hotel de Ville, where Launay was to be arrested and tried
by a revolutionary council, he was instead pulled away by a
mob and murdered.
2. AHMEDABAD: At least two residents of Pithwadi village
in Savarkundla were injured when three lions entered the villages
and ran berserk. These lions according to forest officials were
disturbed as they were eating their kill. Officials said those injured
 include Ramesh Bagthaliya (52) and Khiman Zadapiya (60).
Officials said that on Wednesday night, the three lion killed a
buffalo in the area. As the news spread, people began gathering
around in the area to watch the lions and some even began taking
photographs. Officials said that the noise and
the flashlights irritated the big cats, which ran towards the village
to hide. This resulted in a near-stampede and two people who
came in the way of the running lions were injured. According to
senior forest department officials, this is not the first time that
a crowd had gathered in the area to watch lions. Earlier last week,
in the same area five lions had killed five cows and a mob with
bikes had gathered round. In the earlier incident, the lions had
run back into the forest but this time around, they ran towards
the village. The department is now planning to relocate the group
towards Mityala Sanctuary.

NATIONAL EXAMPLES:
1. Violence erupted at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) on
Friday night after dozens of people vandalized the facility and
attacked doctors, allegedly because the medical staff "delayed
handing over the body" of a Covid-19 patient, officials said. Officials
said that some 70 people stormed the hospital ward at around
10:30pm. They resorted to violence and forcibly took away the
body. Videos taken of the hospital's entrance showed a large
number of people removing equipment such as stretchers from the
hospital premises and breaking the sanitizer gate installed there.
Qureshi said that none of the doctors were injured in the violence.
He added, however, that a female doctor was slapped by one of the
deceased's relatives. "What kind of ethics are these?" he
questioned while expressing disappointment at the incident.

2. At least 39 people were injured in a grenade attack on a Jamaat-i-

Islami rally in Karachi on Wednesday evening, officials’ said.The
 blast took place near the main truck that was part of the rally in
Gulshan-i-Iqbal area, a JI spokesperson said. Of the total, one
person was stated to be in critical condition while no deaths were
reported, according to Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to
the Sindh health minister. East Senior Superintendent of Police
Sajid Sadozai said two unidentified persons riding a motorcycle
threw an RGD-1 grenade at the rally and fled. The people
started running and shouting. They wanted to back fire the
attackers so they also showed some aggression but the
attackers vanished. For time being, things became very
ferocious. The explosion, which took place near Bait-ul-
Mukarram Masjid, also shattered the windows of nearby cars.
A heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the site after
the blast.

 A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized by disorganized groups

lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence, vandalism, or
other crime. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot,
riots are typically chaotic and exhibit herd-like behavior. Riots often
occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. The main
purpose of riot is to create disorder.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE:

1. The farmers who fought in the Revolutionary War had received little

compensation, and by the 1780s many were struggling to make ends
meet. Businesses in Boston and elsewhere demanded immediate
payment for goods that farmers had previously bought on credit and
often paid off through barter. There was no paper money in circulation
and no gold or silver to be accessed by the farmers to settle these
debts. At the same time, Massachusetts residents were expected to pay
higher taxes than they had ever paid to the British in order to assure
that Governor James Bowdoin’s business associates would receive a
good return on their investments. With no means to move their crops
 and make money to pay off debts and taxes, Boston authorities began
to arrest the farmers and foreclose on their farms. Farmers first
attempted peaceful means to settle their issues. In the August of 1786,
farmers in western Massachusetts began to take direct action against
debtors’ courts. But other actions began to take place. In
Northampton, Captain Joseph Hines led several hundred men to block
judges from entering the courthouse. They were joined by a
contingent from Amherst and several hundred more men from
elsewhere.  Riots continued as farmers facing debts often rioted
against state militia. The famous Shay’s Rebellion began with a riot of
hundreds of people in Springfield, Massachusetts.
2. In 1863, citizens were drafted to serve on the Union side in the Civil
War. However, a loophole existed, and anybody with $300 could pay a
commutation fee and avoid conscription. In today’s dollars, that fee
would be equal to over $5000, a sum of money far out of the reach of
poor and working-class people. Resentment at the situation eventually
resulted in rioting, but those taking part soon targeted African-
Americans, and large numbers were lynched in the streets and had their
homes destroyed. President Lincoln sent militia regiments to pacify the
city, and by the fourth day the uprising was crushed decisively. But to
this day, no one can agree on the number of people killed in the rioting
or in the military action that suppressed it. Figures vary between 120
and 2000 people killed, and damage was estimated between $1 million
and $5 million, a huge sum of money for the time.

NATIONAL EXAMPLES:

 PUBLICS: Publics are unorganized aggregation of persons who are

bound together by common opinions, ideas, and desires but because
they are numerous, they do not maintain a personal relationship. It is
a dispersed group. Here one can have conversation indirectly through
mass media. Thus there are various publics among the people. For
 example, we speak of reading public, the sport-loving public etc. The
public is a group of individuals who are united together by a common
interest or objective.” (Schettle)
 PUBLIC OPINION: Public opinion, an aggregate of the individual views,
attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a
significant proportion of a community.
EXAMPLE: Revolutionary public opinion had transformed 13 North
American British colonies into the United States of America. In France,
public opinion had inspired both the middle classes and the urban
masses and had ultimately taken shape as the French Revolution.

AUDIENCE: The group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers

collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert. This refers to the total
number of people reached by media content or who are exposed to
particular message. The most important features of an audience are the age
of the people in the audience, their attitudes and their likes and dislikes
(Cheesebro,O'Connor,&Rios,2010).
EXAMPLES:

 The Karachi crowd thronged the National Stadium in huge numbers,

making the venue jam-packed and also proved that Pakistan is
completely safe country for hosting all kinds of sporting events. Since
the Pakistan-leg matches of PSL have moved to Karachi, the glamorous
city of lights has lit up with the glamour of the grand event. So far five
matches have been played and each match has seen almost a full-
house with a full house of 32,400 diehard lovers of the game in
attendance. Same is the story for the remaining three matches,
 including March 17 final, as all the tickets of the final have been sold-
out.
 The legendary classical music festival is back for another five-night
stint in March. Having last visited Dubai in 2017, this year’s show will
see a Dubai premiere of Beethoven’s timeless Choral Symphony no.9
featuring the BBC Singers and the newly created Dubai Opera Festival
Chorus. There will also be a range of classical performances, original
compositions and more as the festival returns for its second visit.

 Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other

people’s beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures,
banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles, designs on coins
and postage stamps, and so forth). To maximize effect, they may omit or
distort pertinent facts or simply lie, and they may try to divert
the attention of the reactors (the people they are trying to sway) from
everything but their own propaganda.

EXAMPLES:
 In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Jack espouses
much propaganda about the "beast." He plays on the fear in the minds of
the other boys by promoting the idea that the thing on the mountain is a
"beast" (when it's really just a dead pilot still attached to his parachute).
This allows Jack to take control of the "tribe" of boys.

 The sloganeering about of “accountability” and “corrupt rulers” was used

effectively by the backers of Imran Khan to bring him to power, and the
organized propaganda was backed by the most of the media houses in
Pakistan. The current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime after coming to
power started a witch-hunt in the name of accountability and used that as
a premise to send its political opponents to jail. Even former prime minister
 Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who can easily be termed the most civilized and
honest politician in the country, was sent to jail on a charge of importing
expensive liquefied natural gas from Qatar, without any evidence against
him. The same happened to Ahsan Iqbal and other opposition leaders who
were only detained after they became vocal against the politics of the PTI
government

MASS BEHAVIOUR:

A large group of people with a common interest, engaging in similar behaviors,

not necessarily at the same time or place. Mass behavior is a type of
social behavior and is defined as collective behavior among people who are
spatially dispersed from one another.   By definition MASS BEHAVIOR is collective
behavior Opens in new window that takes place when people (who often are
geographically separated from one another) respond to the same event in the
same way. For people to respond in the same way, they typically have common
sources of information that provoke their collective behavior. The most frequent
types of mass behavior are rumors, gossip, mass hysteria, public opinion,
fashions, and fads.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLE:
1. BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A 4K film marking the celebrations of the 70th
founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China has been released in
five ethnic languages. The film, recorded live during the National Day
celebrations in Beijing, was screened simultaneously at 70 theaters across
the country through 4K signal by China Media Group (CMG) on Oct. 1.It was
the first time that the 4K signal has been transmitted by satellite into
cinemas, according to the CMG. The celebrations include a gathering at
Tiananmen Square, a military parade and a civilian parade. The film is now
available in the ethnic languages of Mongolian, Tibetan, Uygur, Kazak and
Korean.
 2. Blaring car horns and exuberant exhalations were being heard in cities
nationwide Saturday after US President-elect Joe Biden defeated
incumbent Donald Trump in the race for the White House.  Revelers flocked
to the White House and amassed at Black Lives Matter plaza, which is just
one block away from the executive mansion, holding Biden-Harris signs as
at least one person shouted "democracy has been saved" following Trump's
defeat.  Others held signs reading "Bye Don," an allusion to the president-
elect's surname, and "You've been fired," a reference to Trump's
catchphrase from his reality television days. In New York City, the US's
financial capital, thousands amassed in Times Square, chanting Biden's
name and singing Sister Sledge's 1979-hit We Are Family and Kool & the
Gang's Celebration. The states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Alaska
remain outstanding several days after Tuesday’s presidential election. In
Chicago, the largest city in the Midwest, people gathered near the Trump
International Hotel & Tower to celebrate the president's electoral defeat. 

NATIONAL EXAMPLE:
1. Youm-e-Ashura, 10th of Muharram, was observed across the country with
due solemnity and sanctity to pay homepage to the sacrifices rendered by
Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions with strict security measures
were in place to avoid any untoward incident. Processions were taken out
nationwide while cell phone services remained partially suspended in
Karachi and other major cities to ensure fool-proof security as country has
seen a raft of attacks at imambargahs and processions in the past.
In Rawalpindi, the central procession of Ashura emerged from Imambargah
Col Maqbool Hussain. In Lahore, main Shabih-e-Zuljinah procession of 10th
Muharram-ul-Haram was taken out from Nisar Haveli inside Mochi Gate of
Old Walled City. The processions of 10th Muharram-ul-Haram were taken
out from various parts of Karachi today while the main procession was
taken out from Nishtar Park Karachi.
2. Every year, Pakistanis from all walks of life celebrate Independence Day
with renewed zeal and fervor. But unlike the past, the Covid-19 pandemic
has put a damper on the celebrations this year. Despite that, various
political, religious, and government organizations, and the public at large,
have decided to celebrate the occasion with the same enthusiasm by
 following the corona virus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) suggested
by the government. The Pakistani flag has been hoisted on the roofs of
different public buildings across the country. Many buildings have also been
decorated with colorful lights. Per sources, all parks, amusement parks, the
Shahi Qila, and the Lahore Zoo will remain open in Lahore, but visitors will
be required to wear masks. That apart, the traditional flag-lowering
ceremony will take place at Lahore's Wagah border, but visitors will not be
allowed. Likewise, in Karachi, Independence Day celebrations have been
organized by governmental and non-governmental organizations, schools,
colleges, and the private sector. Sources said that on the morning of August
14, the main ceremony will be held at the mausoleum of the Founder of
Pakistan, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Parks and public places will
remain open but the government has urged people to observe the SOPs for
their own and others’ safety. All the main public buildings across Islamabad
and Rawalpindi will be decorated with lights and the Pakistani flag, said
Islamabad’s Deputy Mayor Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi.

FORMS OF MASS BEHAVIOUR:

 RUMOUR: A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no

known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth. A rumor is
often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events
circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event,
or issue in public concern" However, a review of the research on
rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across
sociology, psychology, and communication studies had widely
varying definitions of rumor. Thus, rumor is a concept that lacks a
particular definition in the social sciences. But most theories agree
that rumor involves some kind of a statement whose veracity is not
quickly or ever confirmed.

EXAMPLES:
 The news in the voice note was grim. Hundreds of healthy children would
die every day. Ambulances wouldn't be dispatched even to severe Covid-19
cases. Bodies would be sent to "every ice-skating rink" as mortuaries filled
up. The woman speaking claimed to work for the South East Coast
 Ambulance Service. The service was quick to dismiss the voice note as
incorrect - however, it's never said whether or not the woman actually was
an employee. It was viral enough to really scare people. Hundreds of
people got in touch with BBC News asking about the voice note. Many were
distressed by its contents. One woman told us the message had her
daughter in a total frenzy - and that neither of them knew whether it was
true. It spread so widely that Public Health England made a statement
calling it "fake news".
 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on
Wednesday categorically stated that no discussions regarding sale of
Etisalat’s stake in PTCL and its subsidiary Ufone to any company, have taken
place. Contradicting recent rumors, PTCL on confirmation from Etisalat said
it remains committed to its business in Pakistan and continues to work for
its success.

 PANIC:
Panic is a very strong feeling of anxiety or fear, which makes you act
without thinking carefully. Panic is sudden overpowering fear, often
affecting large numbers of people all at once. A state of frantic activity,
usually accompanied by extreme concern or anxiety.

EXAMPLES:

 A bomb explosion in the Pakistani city of Karachi has killed at least 11

people, including several children, and injured at least 24 others. The
bomb, which was hidden in a motorcycle, detonated beside a football pitch
in the Lyari neighborhood during a local tournament early on Wednesday.
No group has said it carried out the attack. Witnesses say many victims
were between six and 15 years old. The target of the attack may have been
a provincial minister. The BBC's Charles Havilland in Islamabad says that
Javed Naghori was at the game but was unharmed. Witnesses said the
explosion happened in the packed stadium during the prize-giving
ceremony after a late-night match. "When the match ended, we came out
and as soon as we came out there was a blast," Ameer Ali, who was injured
in the blast, told Reuters news agency. Everyone started running in panic.
Many people were hit, which scared everyone. Several of the boys who
 died or were injured had been at the game and were wearing football kits.
A local website report said doctors were removing pieces of metal and ball
bearings from the wounded. Pictures from the scene show two massive
craters in the ground and a destroyed car and motorbike.

 A strong earthquake Thursday killed at least three people and damaged a

bridge, hospital and other buildings on one of Indonesia's less populated
islands. (Sept. 26) Simaela said a main hospital in Ambon was damaged and
patients were evacuated to tents in the hospital's yard. The magnitude 6.5
quake was centered 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) northeast of Ambon at a
depth of 18 kilometers (11 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Rahmat
Triyono, the head of Indonesia's earthquake and tsunami centre, said the
inland earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, but
witnesses told television stations that people along coastal areas ran to
higher ground in fear one might occur. Simaela said many people drove to
higher ground by motorbike and car, causing traffic congestion in Ambon.

 MASS HYSTERIA
Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a
large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive
behavior to a real or perceived threat. Although the term has been widely
used, many social scientists believe that this behavior is best described as a
panic with a dispersed audience.

Examples:
 An example of mass hysteria with a widely dispersed audience was
actor Orson Welles’s 1938 Halloween eve radio dramatization of
H.G. Wells’s science fiction classic The War of the Worlds. A CBS
radio dance music program was interrupted suddenly by a news
bulletin informing the audience that Martians had landed in New
Jersey and were in the process of conquering Earth. Some listeners
became extremely frightened even though an announcer had
indicated before, during, and after the performance that the
broadcast was a fictitious dramatization. According to some reports,
as many as one million of the estimated ten million listeners
believed that this astonishing event had occurred. Thousands were
 reported to have hidden in their storm cellars or to have gotten in
their cars so that they could flee from the Martians. Others switched
stations to determine if the same “news” was being broadcast
elsewhere.
 In Srinagar 23 February 2019 Panic gripped Kashmir after a string of
advisories issued by authorities led to confusion and mass hysteria in
the valley. By evening large crowds of people could be seen queuing
outside petrol stations across the Indian state.As panic-gripped
people stocked up on essentials, the state government ordered
immediate rationing of fuel, citing low stocks. Overnight arrests of
top separatist leaders and anticipation of an imminent war with
Pakistan only exacerbated the situation. Panic-gripped motorists
braved the winter chill to fill their vehicles with fuel. As evening wore
on, Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir
tweeted: “The administration needs to take steps to reduce the
sense of panic. People are wound up tight with worry & the
speculation on some TV news channels is contributing to this as well.
Let’s hope someone in the government is listening.”
 FADS: A practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated
zeal. Fads are usually trivial, short-lived variations in speech,
decoration or patterns of behavior or activities involving large
number of people. Mostly, fads are harmless and have no long-range
social consequences.

EXAMPLES:

 Cinnamon challenge got the hype over internet. People

adopted it and started to eat a full spoon of cinnamon in less
than a minute. Everyone started to post their experience of it
and it became a fad. Over 600,000 videos can be found on
YouTube regarding it. Eventually, the trend deceased and
vanished.
  Dalgona coffee is the latest fad that has taken the internet by
storm. Some like it chilled and cold brewed, while others
prefer their filter coffee. Some can't do without their morning
cappuccino, while others still swear by the humble latte.
Dalgona coffee has a frothy layer on top with chilled milk
below it.

 FASHION: Fashions, although similar to fads, change less rapidly, are

less trivial, and tend to be more cyclical. Fashions are a related
phenomenon and are defined as objects or activities that become
popular within larger groups over longer periods of time. Fashion is
a pattern of behavior that catches people's attention. This can
include fashions, as with clothing with designers, manufacturers,
advertisers, and retailers. They manipulate the tastes of the public to
sell billions of dollars of product.

EXAMPLE:

  Sociologist John Lofland in 1985 pointed out that fashion can

also apply to common expressions such as in the 1950's "Right
On!" or in 1960's "Really!" and in the 1970's "Awesome!"

 (Kashmir) If you are eyeing-up a pashmina for under £10, it is not a

pashmina. The Persian word pashm means “wool” and refers to the

fine blend of cashmere from a special breed of goat indigenous to the

high altitude climate of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and northern

India. Pashmina shawls have been hand spun, woven and

 embroidered in Kashmir for thousands of years. Since the pashmina

craze in the mid-1990s (they are THE snug accessory of choice for

long-haul flights), the goats are now reared in the Gobi Desert.

Cheapo pashminas often flogged 3 for £12 – because how’s a girl

supposed to decide from so many colours! – are probably of man-

made viscose.

 The Cow boy boots – which were in fact not made for walking – are
no longer just for cattle ranchers, gun-hoe slingers and toe-tapping

line dance groups. Cowboy boots are now worn across the globe. The

Spanish brought a version over to the Americas and they evolved in to

a type of Wellington boot before decorative stitching appeared in a

number of fashion magazines in the 1850s.