ABSTRACT
There are three main theoretical threads in this chapter. The first one is Benedict Anderson’s concept ‘imagined communities’, in which he draws on the development of ‘print capitalism’ to address the way nations are connected through linguistic association. In more recent times, there is reason to connect the role of mass media and state-wide broadcasting corporations (such as the BBC) to how nations have been communally synchronised. We reflect in the chapter about how this synchronisation is changes with the decrease of ‘linear TV’ and growth of social media. The other theoretical thread is based on Michel Maffesoli’s ‘neo tribes’ and how emotional communities and identification result from other factors than solidarity or communication, but based on style and taste, favourite places/spaces/events. We present some personal stories about of how to find oneself at home on such bases. The third thread is related to ‘generalised trust’, where we discuss among other things the complexity of varying levels of ‘systemic trust’ on a national level, and how this influences a large number of ‘communal opportunities’.
