Flash Crowd

Author:

Niven, Larry

Publication date:

1973-01

Publication type:

Short Story

Published:

Three Trips in Time and Space, anthology, edited by Robert Silverberg (cloth and paper, Dell)

Opus No.:

Setting:

Flash Crowd/Teleportation

Characters:

Barry Jerome "Jerryberry" Jansen; George Bailey; Janice Wolfe; Robin Whyte

Summary:

When instantaneous communication collides with instantaneous travel, society is forced to cope with a whole new set of issues. A scuffle at a shopping mall is reported nationwide by a roving "newstaper," and curious onlookers begin appearing on the scene via their brand-new teleportation booths, turning a minor fracas into a major riot.

Notes:

This story introduced "flash crowds," instant mobs that are a by-product of cheap, worldwide teleportation technology. Niven wrote several sequels to this story, further addressing the various issues posed by instantaneous travel (and suggesting interesting solutions).
Jansen is spelled "Jensen" in the Flight of the Horse printing.
This story was recently expanded and re-published as Red Tide

Reprints:

Reprints Characters Notes Baker's Dozen: 13 Short Science Fiction Novels, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh, Bonanza 1985; Flight of the Horse, The; Best of Larry Niven, The