Adopting mob mentality as a basis for thought is a threat to independence, and we need to tread carefully if we hope to maintain our collective ability to think critically.
It’s easy to become a victim of mob mentality, which is the human urge to blindly follow the majority opinion. It can be fun to share the ideals of a major group of people, but this becomes harmful when it starts hurting others or causes people to lose their ability to think on an individual level.
An excellent example of mob mentality’s negative effects can be seen through cancel culture, which often sees crowds of people collectively turn against an individual or corporation, even if they don’t fully understand why they’re doing so. The truth is that ranting online or engaging in boycotts can be stimulating and make you feel like a part of a greater initiative, but often, cancel culture just leads to mindless hatred.
But not all forms of mob mentality are quite this obvious. A less clear example of mob mentality can be seen in major sporting events, where fans often subconsciously gauge the general vibe of the room and respond in a way that replicates that feeling. These typically aren’t individual responses; they’re extensions of a collective unit’s utterly predictable response to a scored goal or poor play.
But this type of group thinking isn’t necessarily a problem. Mob mentality that focusses on harmless hobbies is just a fun way to spend time with friends or engage in personal interests, even if the response to those interests is determined by the majority.
Mob mentality becomes a problem when a person loses their ability to think critically in situations that require it, or when a person doesn’t realize that their thought process has been influenced by the majority opinion.
It’s usual for a person who’s engaging in mob mentality to not recognize the hidden influence at play and still believe that they’re engaged in independent thought. Mob mentality is often a subconscious process and it can be hard to recognize when you’re not truly thinking for yourself.
Another huge issue with mob mentality is the potential for it to turn violent. Mob mentality can often make individuals do things that they might consider irrational if they weren’t under the influence of a group.
A relatively recent example of this is the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. The mob wasn’t thinking logically or rationally; rather, its members were acting upon the impulsive influence of a bunch of other rowdy “protestors” subconsciously validating each other’s belief that they were doing the right thing.
This is the danger of mob mentality. To many, this example might seem too extreme to ever apply to their own life, but don’t underestimate its powerful implicit influence. Just because you haven’t been a part of a violent mob doesn’t mean you’re free from the mental clutches of herd mentality. It doesn’t just apply to riots and violent acts, it can even affect what one carelessly posts online.
In order to deal with the negative impacts of mob mentality, we must consistently and truthfully ask ourselves whether we are saying or doing something because it’s what we genuinely believe in, or if it’s just a reflection of the pre-existing opinions that have been thrust upon us.
Mob mentality has the potential to be innocent fun, but when we don’t realize its influence in important situations, it’s a danger to critical thinking and who we are as unique individuals.
