 Dear students, in this module, we are going to talk about crowd, masses and collective behavior. Collective behavior represents a broad spectrum of group behavior with the crowd behavior and mass behavior at the core. These behaviors are spontaneous, temporary and often are direct response to an event or a sudden situation which is deviating from the traditional norms of everyday social behavior. Crowd behavior refers to the actions of individuals gathered physically in the same place responding to a common stimulus. So, these behaviors can be unpredictable due to the emotional intensity of the crowd and mutual reinforcement of the behavior. When we talk about collective behavior, there is a spontaneity in it, sudden situations emerge and people get together and react in a special way. It is very difficult to predict that especially when we talk about crowd behavior, a sudden emotional situation emerges and the reaction of the crowd is unpredictable. It depends on the intensity of the crowd and the options available to the crowd. So, in such situations, especially when the crowd is convinced that they are anonymous and there is no consequence because of this situation, crowd behavior can be very reactionary and very violent. So, the crowd behavior can be driven by different factors like anonymity, contagion, emotions and behaviors can spread through the crowd and suggestibility in which the individuals in the crowd are more likely to follow the suggestions or behaviors they might not adopt individually. So, as you can see that where there is anonymity, where the people's emotions and behaviors can spread through the crowd and particularly where there are stronger suggestions and multiple options to react and to act with, so the people's behavior can become more and more predictable. On the other hand, the mass behavior refers to the collective behaviors that happen when people are specially separated but share the same concern. These can occur through social media, print media or electronic communication where people are influenced by each other's opinion. So, as you can see that there is a difference between the crowd behavior, people do need to share a common space. On the other hand, the mass behavior is different, they do not necessarily need to be available on the same shared space, however, they need to have the shared means of communication. Both crowd and mass behavior represent different facets of collective behavior and their impact also varies. While crowd behavior has immediate and localized effects, mass behavior can have long-term and wide-ranging impact due to the broader reach and sustainable nature of that behavior. If we try to interpret it from different sociological lens, the symbolic interactionist can help us which suggests that these behaviors are rooted in the collective meanings, definitions and interpretations that people share emphasizing the role of communication in shaping the collective behavior. For example, in Pakistan, we can see that there were the nationwide protests against the killing of a child in Kasur in 2018. The incidents sparked both the crowd behavior as well as the mass behavior. So, these were driven by the shared sense of shock and demand for justice. So, by analyzing the complexities of crowd behavior, we can gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which the groups can influence the social change and shape the cultural norms. So, the study of crowd behavior is very essential in developing certain policies and interventions aimed at promoting social justice and reducing the social inequalities in different societies.