Anaïs Nin is famously quoted as saying, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” That is, the truth is not as objective as we would like to believe. The truth is culturally mediated and socially negotiated and constructed based on our communal view of reality—our beliefs.

Within a neotribe, the legitimation—what is deemed acceptable and valid—of new beliefs, rituals, artifacts, and language is negotiated and constructed (both implicitly and explicitly) by its members, resulting in new political dogma, consumption habits, technology adoption, and colloquialisms among members of the social group.

Identity is the cornerstone of culture.

The result of this ease of entry simultaneously drives creation and consumption, enabling anyone who subscribes to the ethos of hip-hop to contribute artifacts to the community and influence its cultural characteristics.

Durkheim argued that members who subscribe to a particular culture tend to act in concert to promote social solidarity among its members. He referred to this phenomenon as “collective effervescence.” This concept is superpowerful because it suggests that what we believe, what we do, how we make meaning of the world, and how we communicate are all

When we achieve that kind of collective agreement, people don’t consume or join because of who we are (the brand); they do it because of who they are (the community). The brand or organization is now a way by which people express their identity.

If you want to inspire people to move, your best chance is to find your congregation—the aggregate tribes of people who see the world the way you do.

It is an extension of who we are.

Imagine if we told stories that helped delegitimate the parts of society that tend to disproportionately impact marginalized communities, like police brutality on Black bodies, equal pay for women, ending Asian hate, fairer voting policies, and so on, and so on, and so on. The impact would be significant.