Modern Tribes

In the course of last few weeks ago, I had learnt quite a bit about myself. My best friend and co-author of this blog decided to hold a movie screening party at her place. All we had to contribute to this party was booze and a choice of our two favorite movies. Two favorite movies. How the hell am I going to choose two favorite movies, show it to a group different individuals without being called crazy or anything equivalent to that. Movies, music, book choices implicitly or explicitly defines you. My favourtie malay movie of all time is Putri Gunung Ledang. The love song I am going to serenade my future wife is True Companion by Marc Cohan. My current song choice is Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. And I quite like The Stars are Blind by Paris Hilton. I am currently reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult.

Apart from songs, movies and books, which undeniably we know, defines us, we now live in an age where the things and brands we own, does the same, whether we like it or not. We treasure our individuality yet at the same time we yearn to belong to a group. A tribe of like-minded people that have the same aspirations. These contradictions gave to rise of players like iPods and bags like Birkins. Now, instead of saying I like my iPod, we say my iPod is like me. And we belong to that group of inspired and design conscious people who too, owns iPods.

Belonging to a tribe is so imbued into our nature, that some of us even buy fake branded goods to pretend to belong to a certain tribe. Some might argue that buying imitation is a matter of cheaper prices and not to satisfy the need to belong to a tribe. If that is the case, then why buy an imitation at all. There are many, unbranded (or at least, lesser known brands) to purchase, yet imitation remains popular. The need to belong is human nature, and good brands know how to take advantage of that.

The popularity of certain brands are so pertinent, they influence other brands. iPods inspired Microsoft to create its Zune player - both has the jog wheel that the iPods made popular. Louis Vuitton has spurred Bonia to design almost similar looking bags. However, brands that are trying to imitate other brands seldom get to have the cult like fans the original has. That's because the imitation brand fail to fulfill the other need of humans. While we yearn to belong to a tribe, we also value individuality. And we see brands that are copycats to undermine that individuality.

While brands have the power to influence and define people, people too seems to have the uncanny ability to define brands. Brands are owned by people and hence the people that own those brands define it. And if brands are uncontrolled, they become defined beyond the original brand direction. Take KY Jelly, the famous (or infamous) lubricant. When it first came out, it was never advertised, or positioned to be a sexual lubricant. In fact it was created for the medical community. Even right now, the medical community uses KY as lubricant. I was a medic in the army, and when truck loads of KY Jelly order came in for the treatment room, we would still smile cheekily at each other.

About a week ago, I had to pay a friend of mine a visit. He needed help with his costumes and make-up for a certain performance at a certain club. As I entered his room, I accidentally had a glanced into his sister's room. There, in that peach scented room, is an iMac on a glass table, perched beautifully like a white canary. It was designed in a way that the 20" screen looked like it was floating. "You use a mac?" I asked almost excitedly. "Nah." my friend replied. "My silly sister does. Macs can't play games." I felt a little disappointed that my beloved computing platform is dismissed so easily and ignorantly. After helping him with the costumes and makeup, I made my way out of his room, passing the living room, and that was where I saw his enlightened sister. "Hello." I said casually. "I'm a mac user too." I added almost intuitively. "Really? WOW." she replied. Her eyes glimmered with enthusiasm, excitement and acknowledgment. We didn't say anything more but we both knew, we belonged to the same tribe.

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