Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the book "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" by Gustave LeBone, which studies the psychology of crowds and their impact on society. The paper explains that the book was written earlier in this century, by a Frenchman, who relied on French examples. "The Crowd" is somewhat outdated, claims the paper, but could be applied to today's crowd mechanisms -- namely, mass media, especially television, which are used to arouse crowds into action. The author of this paper argues that the media has assumed the leadership role in creating, inciting and defusing crowds.

From the Paper:

"The old cliche says there is safety in numbers. In a crowd, then, according to the author individual ideas and personalities are subjugated to the single will of the crowd. The crowd forms one personality, mass personality, perhaps, but with a single goal to be achieved. The goal could be political overthrow, labor union strikes or wage settlements, joy at some momentous event (think of the parades of the astronauts that first landed on the moon), or showing support for some religious, foreign policy, or festive event. The crowds in St. Peter's square at Christmas to hear the Pope's message to the world is a crowd with a single purpose, therefore."

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