A couple of days ago, I commented on the power of music to
remind us of what we were doing when we heard the song. Music
can give a sense of unity and identity - whether it's an entire
genre, as in music-based subcultures, or just a single song -
L7's 'Shove' always makes me think of my role-playing company,
Livid Creations.
Other things can create this sense of identity. Shared
opinions, in-jokes, rituals and the like. Memes. Running into a
friend who you haven't seen for a few months, running off a
quote from a film, and getting the next line spat back at you
double-quick, accompanied by wide grin, re-inforces your shared
identity and reminds you of the good times you've all had
together.
For a group of people who share certain behaviours, when one
of the group is on their own, the memes start to die quickly -
as nobody else understands or is as obsessed about the memes,
they're not reinforced. However, as soon as the person is
reunited with someone else from their group, the behaviour
typical of the meme(s) is re-enforced and the bond grows
stronger.
So, in-jokes, random quotes, and similar obsessions are good
ways to help maintain a group of friends.
