Springtime in Philadelphia can only mean one thing ~ a flashmob on South Street. The Inquirer tells us that “thousands of teenagers” gathered and “swarmed” last night, creating another opportunity for a cycle of bad reporting and hack public relations work to spin out of control for a couple of news cycles.

Combine the two things that many folks understand the least and fear the most — teenagers and technology — and cry havoc. Reporters will spend their Sunday dialing-up the usual suspects to elicit their now routine quote about suing Twitter, monitoring MySpace or blocking Facebook. Their public relations advisors will exploit the opportunity to get their guy on T.V. and counsel gutsier quotes with a greater sense of urgency.

It’s fear-mongering. Keep reading…

Tags: fear mongering, flashmob, Philadelphia, public relations practitioners, teenagers