Emergence in the stands

Patterned emergent behaviour can also be observed with flocks of flying birds. It appears that the birds are turning and diving in synchronized movements en masse, which suggests some form of collective mind. However, emergence is not a straightforward top-down phenomenon. The birds are turning with reference to the flying companions in their immediate vicinity; this in turn impacts upon flying patterns of birds elsewhere in the flock which are prompted to follow a similar flight path. This creates an emergent group effect, which creates the illusion that the birds must be following some overarching, pre-arranged routine of flight.

This situation had direct parallels at Villa Park: an observer could perhaps think that the (almost) simultaneous rising of thousands of people was a choreographed movement. What the spectator is presented with in the North Stand is akin to a Prisoner’s Dilemma: we can’t trust the person in front of us to stay seated so, to ensure that we do not lose our view completely, we stand up. This micro-event is replicated across the stand in an instant, which leads to the macro-event of everyone standing up together.

It would probably make sense if everyone stayed in his or her seats, as then everyone could continue to see the game with a reasonable view. The a priori rational approach would thus be for everyone to remain seated. Whilst the spectator’s view is likely become increasingly restricted as the action moves close to the stand, the advantage to be gained by standing is nullified when everyone ends up doing the same thing. But rationality filtered through social situations is a somewhat different entity. Standing becomes a necessary break-even strategy; everyone has to stand because everyone else is standing.

It should be noted that this may not be a universal behaviour: persons from other (perhaps less individualistic) cultures may be less inclined to stand as the primary concern would be not to impede the view of the person behind. And whilst nearly all of the spectators stood in the North Stand, a few chose not to, either through indifference, infirmity or respect for the person behind. This shows that we do not respond to social forces as pre-programmed automata, but the almost instantaneous crash of thousands of seats demonstrates the powerful mutual linkage between emergence and the human mind.

So when you are shouting at the telly, imploring England to push out when they are protecting a precarious 1-0 lead against Ghana in the second round, remember – you are just as prone to the effects of emergence as the eleven chaps floundering around trying to scramble the ball clear!