I want one of my character to start riots in a big city sort of like the BLM riots in May and June, but I don't know how he could get a ton of people involved super quick. Social media wouldn't work for a few reasons, but im really struggling with this. if anyone could help me id be very thankful.
word of mouth. before social media, you had people standing up on soapboxes or in town squares rallying the people into mobilization. if this is of the digital age, you dont really need social media but coded messages in online ads and newspapers. Actually, a new coworker and I were talking today about CIA and mind control... which segued into an X-Files episode where, to get a person do do something, they only needed to see it (or hear it) long enough before it became ingrained in them to do it. None of these options would be "super quick".... or, not as quick as social media (if set in a time period where there is social media). you essentially have to advertise where the people are.
All that's really needed for a believable riot is a crowd of people with heightened emotions (maybe with the aid of some intoxicants) then throw in a provocation, likely witnessing a violent act, and boom, you've got yourself a believable riot. For instance there are plenty of riots that happened due to sporting events. No need for mobilization since the peeps are already there, and they brought their own beer. Then their team wins, or loses, emotions boil over and someone or multiple people start getting destructive pushing things into a riot. Unlike protests, riots aren't really planned ahead of time. Your character might plan to instigate a riot, by creating the catalyzing act of violence, maybe even get some friends to help, but they don't need to schedule a time and place when they can just take advantage of other events planned in their area. That is if the only goal of the riot is to have a riot. If it is based on rebelling against some injustice then they will need lay the groundwork so that they can get the correct message across.
Blackouts...A lot of riots have been spawned by power outages. Since that is something that could be manipulated, say...the character taking out the local substation, then standing upon a soap box and inciting people to a riot....that would be believable by writers. I am sure sporting events have incited probably more riots, but that is more random, and hard to manipulate into an outcome. I would research the biggest blackouts that occurred, and take your story from there.
Modern riots tend to develop from protests. In turn, protests are organized through word-of-mouth. Your best bet is a popular protest that happens regularly (EG, every night, every Saturday or the like), one that people can expect will happen. After that, you just need a trigger. A protests will likely turn a riot if the police uses force; the police will in turn use force if their safety is threatened. It is very easy to spark a riot from a protest by employing a couple people that become part of the protesting crowd and do violent/aggressive stuff.
Back home in Russia, we make a FB or social media post saying 'March for X! Starts 5 December in the town square!' Where X is a very sensitive and aggressively politicised issue. Then we make a second post which says 'March for Y! Starts 5 December! In the town square!' Where we target people who hate the X marchers and bring them all together ❤ The posts have to look very professional and you need a fake account so that people buy it. Get your friends involved to spread a little bit of vitriol around and really rile people up - a few fake stories here and there to make a moral panic and take advantage of humanity's longstanding attraction to stupidity. Sit back and watch the chaos!
Is your character wealthy? Could pay a couple of antagonists to rile things up? - Assassination of a popular individual blamed on a certain group that could then spark violent clashes? - Terrorism act? - Perhaps a few bribes to certain judges to completely bungle up violent cases, destabilizing the justice system, causing riots. - Bribing city officials to make bad decisions? Maybe hacking? - Stealing the savings of every person in the city, could perhaps spark widespread chaos and riots? - Blocking people's cell phones? - If the society is religious or otherwise politically fanatic, then perhaps hack billboards and signs across the city to show blasphemous images or information opposing the popular beliefs.
My latest book has a group of influential men paying people on the street to start conflict, followed by a riot. It was their purpose to make the community scary and to put fear in any investor who would support that community. Thereby keeping them in poverty and in check. They started in Chicago with a few guys that hired more guys and soon 2 became twenty. When it was on a roll in Chicago, they took the now organized group to Baltimore. And so it goes.
