Mob mentality?

I just read a article in the June issue of BusinessWeek that highlights the internet and includes many relevant discussions of the internet and its influences on society, economics and politics.

The article basically discusses the development of the internet and highlights many of the positive changes that have occurred because of its development; for instance, the article offers up the example of a small British start-up and how the company was able to successful compete in a trillion dollar industry. The internet allowed the company to save money, thus keeping the organization competitive against its much larger rivals. There is no doubt that the net has brought positive change. However, the article does discuss the notion of a "mob mentality."

In the past, my rhetoric has paralleled that of a grand supporter of the internet and its influences on society and democracy. Indeed the net has increasingly made business and other means of production more accessible to the people. Just as the article states that the Industrial Revolution put the means of production into the hands of large corporations that could "achieve economies of scale," it also states that the internet has allowed more of current production to be put into the hands of the collective people. However, on top of that, the article does asks the subtle question of how such collective thinking could lead to "mob thinking."

This concept was quite intriguing to me. While I think the internet is a great tool for bringing people together, can it bring too many people too close together? It must be stated that the author is also quick to point out that such collective thinking will not "build railroads, grow wheat.....or write great novels." True, individulism will not completely die, nor will human feats(like writing the great American novel) vanish from out society, but while the net allows more people to have more consumer power at their finger tips (obviously that is beneficial to people) do the author's discussions on "mob mentality" have any merit?