The Art Of Influencing Crowds: People Power by Douglas Coop (book review)
As a clinical empath and agoraphobic, I tend to be wary of crowds as my ability tends to be overwhelmed by too many emotionally-driven people and fills like I’m wading through cement. Oddly, in his opening chapter of his book ‘The Art Of Influencing Crowds: People Power’ and frequently thereafter, writer Douglas Coop, focuses on the 1896 book ‘The Crowd’ by French author Gustave Le Bon was also examining how crowds work, showing there were two basic types and how quickly they could disperse. As a group, crowds have a very much female temperament and controllable. An Austrian named Adolf Hitler learnt from Le Bon’s book showing how a strong mind could take over a population in Germany with terrifying results. However, it’s more like a common consensus that takes over. We see it in the extremes in rioting but also in the euphoria at rock concerts and religious gatherings but calms down when you get your self-control back away from them. It shows humans are really a herd animal and how a strong personality or leadership can guide them in such a state. This doesn’t excuse their behaviour but shows in inherent weakness. If anything, there really needs to be an investigation of people like me who are immune and at least sensible enough not to sway people for self-interest but only to widen knowledge.
It’s rather interesting to discover images have more of an effect on crowds than words. Then again, if you look at sports stadiums and such with digital advertising and showing the games, it must have an overwhelming effect on its patrons. They might not think they are affected by them but the images remain. A real question here is do those doing that know this and just how much brainwashing this can be inside their heads. In many respects, people who watch television have it on a smaller scale and can dismiss advert breaks but I do wonder about advertising on the Internet where there is an advert bombardment all the time. I find most of it easy to ignore but those who are on continually for social media might also have a problem without knowing it and there really need some control than the Internet companies raking in the money.
Coop looks at historical use of crowds and even references some from the Bible. In some respects, I wish he had also looked at other religions and how they used crowds as well just to show it wasn’t one religion if, for no other reason, that people used crowds for their own devices since the year dot.
On the other hand, when it comes to leadership, Coop points out the need of a charismatic leader to guide some crowds and the lack of them these days. I think this is, for the most part, a problem caused by the Internet and people not socialising in person anymore but do get hooked to ‘influencers’ without realising they are manipulated by manufacturers. It’s just a different type of crowd control.
When Coop covers terrorism, which itself is caused by people getting together as crowds, often to over-throw governments, he totally ignores the need to get at least part of a country’s military on their side. Look at how many countries governments are taken over by their military who then take charge and less interested in returning to some form of democracy. What is more chilling is Coop quoting an old Chinese proverb about terrorism that when one person is killed, ten thousand are frightened should send a shiver down anyone’s back. Logistically, terrorism can come from governments as much as revolutionaries.
I think Coop moves away from crowd influencing in the final chapters. Yes, civil police are taught how to handle rioting crowds by dividing their numbers up but doesn’t consider that the police themselves are also a crowd who has to protect themselves as well, which might explain the occasional rise of their own violence. The same can also be said with military and there has been notes in the media that in combat, they protect their own first.
I’ve been very critical in this review but there is a lot of material here which will make you think and if, like me, you find flaws then at least it is making you think which is always a good thing. I’m clearly not a herd animal but I suspect most geeks aren’t. That doesn’t mean we don’t have common hobbies and even rivalry but we don’t move as a herd with them.
I do think there are areas where Coop could have explored further, especially if people are aware they are being manipulated into groups that are bigger than they realise. Often it is those who speak out that might be classed as the leaders although really most of the time they are just voicing their concern or a particular point than being a leader. My letters in the UK’s ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper over the past couple decades have encouraged a bunch of regulars now but I wouldn’t call us a crowd and I’ve never contacted them. So when are crowds not crowds but just common connections?
We see how crowds build up in the UK on a regular basis and see some of their manipulation when it comes to illegal immigrants. When it comes to government, it’s only one problem and to choose a party where that is their only concern would lead to amateur mistakes with the rest of the country. We’ve seen what happened with Brexit to see that. I do think the most important thing learnt from this book is to be careful not to be carried along with a crowd which deprives you of free will. Then, again, am I manipulating when all I’m giving is an opinion?
Certainly use this book as a primer on the subject of crowds and I hope more books will explore the areas I’ve noted above. At least we’ve been spared flash crowds, as mentioned on the Net years ago, getting too far out of hand beyond parties of people suddenly appearing at non-paying events. Keep your minds in crowds.
GF Willmetts
October 2025
(pub: Acorn Books, 2016.204 page small enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-83791-098-4)
check out website: www.acornbooks.uk
