The convergence of wireless communications technologies (such as wireless text messaging) and widely distributed networks is allowing social swarming on a scale that has never existed before.

In “Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution,” due for release this fall, author Howard Rheingold envisions shifts similar to those that began to occur when people first settled into villages and formed nation-states. “We are on the verge of a major series of social changes that are closely tied into emerging technologies,” he said.