One of my favorite writers, Warren Ellis, writes about taste tribes in his latest Artbomb.net column. Let it sink in.
The mass audience is breaking down into smaller sets; and beyond that, into what Dr Joshua Ellis (no relation) terms “taste tribes” — people whose group status is defined by their particular cultural apprehension. Where one says, I know and interact with this person on the initial basis that we share tastes. Not that we all trade notes on Star Trek — not a fan thing — but that we share a cultural sphere. This creates and defines a loose community of its own, stitched together by cultural communication. And with the net in place, taste tribes are borderless. (continued)
The whole column is Essential Reading. Wrap your mind about it for a little while. We’ll get back to this idea next week.