Flash mobs are such a new phenonenon that there has been little time to create a proper definition. While you will not find this defintion in your average Webster's dictionary, it is the most commonly used and floats around technical definition sites such as Wikipedia.com

flash mob

(FLASH mawb) n. A large group of people who gather in a usually predetermined location, perform some brief action, and then quickly disperse. -v., -adj.

- flash mobber n.
- flash mobbing pp.

This is a fine definition because it does not pin flash mobs down as being solely for amusement. It creates the term flash mob to be a blanket term that incapsulates all the various uses.

Another interesting term being used on the WWW is "social swarming."

social swarming

(soh.shul SWOR.ming) n. The rapid gathering of friends, family, or colleagues using technologies such as cell phones, pagers, and instant messaging.

-social swarm n.

Essentially "social swarming" takes the idea of the flash mob, and incorporates in the use of technology. This definition is very close to what the definition of "smart mob" might be.

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