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Crowds 

People together in the same place are called a “group”. Very many people are called a “crowd”. 

Inside a crowd, we feel different than when we are by ourselves. Together with the others, we can get excited about something. But the others also influence our behaviour. Inside a crowd, we often do not act as one single person, but as part of the crowd. This can lead to crowd movements. Crowd or mass movements also exist on social media such as X and TikTok. The less dense a crowd is, the less it influences individual people. There is research on this, known as “crowd studies”. 

This exhibition focuses on crowd studies and different types of crowds. 

Mehdi Moussaïd is the curator of the exhibition “Crowds”. He is a researcher and has worked and done research in different areas. His varied knowledge helped him with the exhibition. 

Mehdi Moussaïd has also written a book: “Fouloscopie”, which is the word for “crowd studies” in French. Mehdi Moussaïd has a YouTube channel, also called “Fouloscopie”. 

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Examples of crowds 

Crowds are measured by density. This is the number of people per square metre. 

These booths have an area of one square metre. The number of figures inside increases: the crowd becomes more dense. Some figures are cut off. It looks like someone has cut a piece out of the crowd. Like a sample to measure the density. 

• At fewer than 3 people per square metre, it feels comfortable inside the crowd. 
• At 3 to 5, people stand pressed together and disturb each other. 
• At 5 to 7, things become dangerous. 
• At 9 people, fatal accidents can happen. Luckily this is rare. 

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Dense crowds

A dense crowd has very many people in not much space. It is difficult to move in this type of crowd. We have to adapt to the crowd. This creates crowd movements: the entire crowd moves, as if for no reason. These crowd movements can also happen in peaceful crowds. They can be so strong that they become dangerous.  

Crowd studies researches crowd movements like this. This helps to reduce the risks to people, for example, at concerts.  

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10 tips for crowds 

1. Before I enter the crowd, I make a note of all exits.
2. I leave the crowd before an event ends. I go where there are fewer people.
3. I stay standing where possible. I never pull others down with me.
4. I do not shout or call for help. If I need help, I wave with both arms.
5. If other people come too close to me, I pull in my forearms and hold them in front of my chest. > Photo below
6. If the people around me are moving, I move with them. Otherwise, I may trip and fall down.
7. I stay away from walls, fences and posts.
8. I always look at how many people are around me. If I can no longer lift my hand to my face, I leave the crowd.
9. If people start to panic and there are crowd movements, then I stay calm and leave the crowd. I keep my distance from the crowd.
10. I offer help and support the weakest people. I make sure that nobody trips and falls because of me. 

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Counting the people in a crowd 

It is difficult to guess how many people are in a crowd. How many figures do you see? Please count them. Or choose some sections and count the figures there. Then calculate the number for 150 sections. Choose the sections without thinking for a more precise result.  

At the bottom right you can see a flap. The correct answer is under this. 

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Pedestrian crowds 

We move through crowds of pedestrians, moving out of each other’s way and keeping our distance... This all works without speaking. We follow unconscious rules. These rules vary depending on the situation, culture and crowd. 

People adapt to others in their environment, like ants or fish. If we understand how people behave in a crowd, then we can plan traffic better. Or present crowds better in video games. 

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Moving to the left or right 

Two pedestrians walk towards each other. They must not collide. So they move out of each other’s way. In our culture, most people move to the right. People learn this in childhood. Nobody has decided that it has to be to the right. It has just worked out like that. In Japan or India, pedestrians move to the left. 

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V-shaped groups 

Sometimes, friends or family move in a crowd. In this case, they usually move in a V-shape. The person in the middle is slightly further back. This allows the group to talk while walking. But sometimes they get in the way of others. Because the group only moves as quickly as the slowest person. They are around 17% slower than the crowd. 

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Pedestrian traffic lanes 

When people move in two directions on the street, this often creates pedestrian traffic lanes: on one side, people move in one direction, and on the other side, in the other direction. But only if all the people move at the same speed. Otherwise, they move mixed up together again. 

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Group or crowd? 

“Group” and “crowd” are different terms for people who have come together. “Crowd” has a more negative sound. Crowds are powerful and influence society. But something can connect people in a crowd. Then they help each other and become a group. 

11

Groups are contagious 

In groups, people often behave in the same way. There are several reasons for this: 

• We form groups with people who are similar to us.
• People in a group experience the same outside influences. For example, a crisis.
• People naturally copy each other. This is how we learn the rules of our environment. 

12

Desire paths 

Desire paths are trails that people make themselves. Someone goes first. The trail attracts others. More and more people take the same path, for example through a meadow. Soon, grass stops growing there. A trail forms. Trails can be used when planning parks: you look where people like to walk and plan a path there. 

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Digital crowds 

In online networks such as X, there are digital crowds. For example, more and more people leave a review for a product. Or write angrier and angrier comments on a post. Digital crowd or mass movements like these spread faster and farther than movements in a normal crowd. 

Crowd studies researches online networks. The aim is to find out: How can we find our way better in digital crowds? How can we manage online networks better and limit digital crowd movements? 

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Rumours 

Someone tells us something, and we tell someone else. We forget something or add something new in the process. That is how rumours are created. Often we do not do this on purpose. Often when we are sharing something unpleasant. Rumours spread through conversations or social networks such as X. 

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Changed messages 

When we tell others something, we often only tell part of it or add something to it. In a group, we pass on the part of the information that is relevant for our group. This strengthens prejudices. So it is best to check where information comes from and what it was originally. This helps us to decide better whether the information is true. 

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Belonging 

It does not take much to feel like part of a group. For example, when we have a common goal. If groups have different goals, conflicts can quickly arise between them. This is because people often think in categories. Everything that is different is rejected. Even if there is no reason for this. 

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The moment where the mood changes 

Sexual violence or racism are nothing new. Why do group movements such as #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter suddenly appear in online networks? At some point, something suddenly becomes so important that everyone is interested in it. 

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Crowd predictions 

In 1906, a competition took place: 788 people guessed the weight of an ox. Most of them guessed wrong. But the average of all answers was almost correct. 

The crowd knew the answer, even though the individual people were wrong. The important points: 

• The crowd is made up of many people.
• A number has to be guessed.
• Participants are not allowed to talk to each other.
• Participants have to know roughly what the number could be. 

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Graffiti not allowed 

Graffiti is images or words painted on walls or train cars. Is graffiti art or vandalism? Graffiti is often a form of protest.  

Sometimes, a wall stays clean for a long time. Then the first piece of graffiti appears, and others soon follow. Nobody wants to paint the first graffiti. After all, it is not allowed. But if someone before me leaves graffiti, then I am allowed to, too. Right? 

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On the other side of the mirror 

Surprise! You have now reached the other side of the exhibition. From here, you can watch the crowd. You are now studying crowds! Please do not tell anyone.