People fill South Street during a flash mob incident that involved thousands and closed the street to traffic from Front Street to Broad in Philadelphia in 2010. Thanks to websites like Twitter and Facebook, more and more so-called flash mobs are materializing across the globe, leaving police scrambling to keep tabs on the spontaneous assemblies. Laurence Kesterson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/AP/File
Jevon Cochran (l.) and protesters stand in the door of a BART train at the Civic Center station in San Francisco on Aug. 15. Cellphone service was operating as protesters gathered at the San Francisco subway station during rush hour several days after transit officials shut down wireless service to head off another demonstration. Jeff Chiu/AP/File
Actors dressed in beach attire participate in a flash mob as part of a commercial for McDonald's in Chicago on July 14. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/File
Hundreds of people participate in a flash mob pillow fight in front of the New York Stock Exchange on April 4, 2009 in New York City. Mary Altaffer/AP
Dancers hold photos of people who have inspired them on Feb. 28 in Toronto, Ontario. The event was organized by 'I Believe She's Amazing,' a group founded by Kim MacGregor to honor her friend who died in May 2009 and to inspire women to recognize the amazing role models in their lives. Newscom
A flash mob of zombies celebrate Black Friday in the streets of Sydney, Australia, on Friday, March 13, 2009 to prey on those with trisadekaphobia, or fear of Friday the 13th. Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom/FILE
A flash mob performs the dance from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' music video in Trafalgar Square, London to celebrate the late King of Pop on what would have been his 51st birthday. Newscom/FILE
People blow bubbles to welcome spring at Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy, on March 21. Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images/Newscom
A Michael Jackson flash mob performs 'Beat It' in Berlin, Germany, in August 2009. Newscom/FILE
Women in white dresses jump in front of a store as part of a flash mob in Porto, Portugal on Jan. 30.
Activists who organized a flash mob to call awareness to AIDS prevention gather in Changchun, China, on Nov. 29 ahead of World AIDS Day. Newscom/FILE
Emmy and Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth kicks off Good Mood Mission campaign with a flash mob dance at The Grove Los Angeles on Jan. 19. Owen Beiny/WENN.com/Newscom
A flash mob recreates a 33 kilometer section of the Berlin Wall by joining hands along the path on Nov. 9. Newscom/FILE
A flash mob organized by Greenpeace gathers during the Copenhagen Climate Summit in Paris, France on Dec. 5. Newscom/FILE
A Hit and Run Tango flash mob dances in Berlin, Germany, in August 2009. Newscom/FILE
Freedom for Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni was a cause célèbre among dissidents and human rights groups critical of the Chávez regime. Venezuela conditionally released her after three years in detention.
Jailed Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, often referred to as “Hugo Chávez’s political prisoner,” was freed on Friday after spending more than three years in detention. Following petitions from international bodies and human rights groups, the court decision immediately ignited social media networks, with many celebrating the release as a victory for human rights and Venezuela's political opposition.
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