1st Edition

Collective Behavior and Public Opinion Rapid Shifts in Opinion and Communication

By Jaap van Ginneken Copyright 2003
320 Pages
by Routledge

318 Pages
by Routledge

320 Pages
by Routledge

This is a highly innovative and stimulating work with the outline of an entirely new approach to massive and rapid shifts in opinion and communication. It discusses and explains such mysterious phenomena as sudden crazes and crashes, fads and fashion, hypes and manias, moral outrage and protests, gossip and rumors, and scares and panics. Rich in alternative insights, the book is divided into... Read more
Contents: Preface. Introduction: A New Vision. Part I: Mind Quakes. Public Opinion as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS). The Continuous Mutation of Informal Messages. Circular Reaction in Media Hypes. Part II: Emerging Collective Behavior. The Formation of Synergy in Crowds. The Emergence of Patterns in Opinion Currents. The Self-Organization of Social Movements. Part III: Shifting Public Moods. The Evolving Context of Fashion and Fads. Critical Thresholds in Fear and Panic. Possible Attractors in Outrage and Protest. Part IV: Conclusion. Phase Transitions in Crazes and Crashes. Prediction, Planning, and Fundamental Uncertainty. Epilogue: Issues Management.

Biography

Jaap van Ginneken