4 ms·

I don't know what to tell you. What's the difference between this and cheering at a sporting event? People draw tribal boundaries where they want to. (I'm r

by pohl 15y ago

I don't know what to tell you. What's the difference between this and cheering at a sporting event? People draw tribal boundaries where they want to. (I'm reminded of The Onion t-shirt that says "the sports team from my area is superior to the sports team from your area").

andrewcooke 15y ago
that's a good comparison. i'm just surprised people are the same with companies - particularly with google. people here in chile are pretty fanatical about football, but i can't imagine them posting the same kind of comments on, say, some mining company's web page. so what's the difference? is this specific to web companies? social media [i guess maybe this]? thinking more, i guess it's the whole identifying with brands thing. so google is now like apple or nike? again, i suppose it's obvious, but i wasn't aware that google was that kind of company. i guess it changed? what do people own that they've got from google? could it be android that's driving this? what's making people identify with google? going back to the "hey yeah" feeling. i've felt that with sport, sure. but do people really feel it with quarterly earnings? this isn't just snobbery - you grow up with a football team. i don't think i would have known what quarterly results were until i was, say, 20. can something you learn that late connect in the same way?
- jrockway 15y ago
  I think it's an experience thing. Everyone uses Google; they identify with the company because they see their product every day. Google controls their Internet experience, not to mention their Emacs, Docs, and Calendar. As to why they comment on Larry Page's report to the investors... it's probably because they can. Larry Page is a celebrity, and people like celebrities. When you can send a message to him for all to see, you feel some innate desire to do so. (I don't do this, because I know that Larry Page should not give a fuck about what I think. Other people are more self-confident, I guess :) Other companies incite the emotional response in the opposite direction: nobody likes Bank of America, Comcast, or Best Buy, even though most people have no negative experiences with those companies.
- timwiseman 15y ago
  It would be hard to do this for a coal company because few coal companies deal too directly with the consumer, and even people who buy charcoal to grill with at home often do not get too attached to one brand since charcoal is close to being a commodity (yes, there are some people with strong opinions on this, but most people do not have them). But I suspect you will find this in every field where a consumer will be highly invested in the product, and especially in fields where their use of the product can be publicly seen, and even more so when it is publicly seen and thought (rightly or wrongly) to say something about the user. Many people are very proud of the type of car they drive. Most people who ride motorcycles have very strong opinions about the different brands and styles available. Many people (certainly not all, but many) who drive a Prius do so as much because they think it says something about them as for any other reason. As others have said, people will find different forms of tribalism in just about any public activity.

by pohl 15y ago

andrewcooke 15y ago

that's a good comparison. i'm just surprised people are the same with companies - particularly with google. people here in chile are pretty fanatical about football, but i can't imagine them posting the same kind of comments on, say, some mining company's web page. so what's the difference? is this specific to web companies? social media [i guess maybe this]? thinking more, i guess it's the whole identifying with brands thing. so google is now like apple or nike? again, i suppose it's obvious, but i wasn't aware that google was that kind of company. i guess it changed? what do people own that they've got from google? could it be android that's driving this? what's making people identify with google? going back to the "hey yeah" feeling. i've felt that with sport, sure. but do people really feel it with quarterly earnings? this isn't just snobbery - you grow up with a football team. i don't think i would have known what quarterly results were until i was, say, 20. can something you learn that late connect in the same way?

jrockway 15y ago
I think it's an experience thing. Everyone uses Google; they identify with the company because they see their product every day. Google controls their Internet experience, not to mention their Emacs, Docs, and Calendar. As to why they comment on Larry Page's report to the investors... it's probably because they can. Larry Page is a celebrity, and people like celebrities. When you can send a message to him for all to see, you feel some innate desire to do so. (I don't do this, because I know that Larry Page should not give a fuck about what I think. Other people are more self-confident, I guess :) Other companies incite the emotional response in the opposite direction: nobody likes Bank of America, Comcast, or Best Buy, even though most people have no negative experiences with those companies.
timwiseman 15y ago
It would be hard to do this for a coal company because few coal companies deal too directly with the consumer, and even people who buy charcoal to grill with at home often do not get too attached to one brand since charcoal is close to being a commodity (yes, there are some people with strong opinions on this, but most people do not have them). But I suspect you will find this in every field where a consumer will be highly invested in the product, and especially in fields where their use of the product can be publicly seen, and even more so when it is publicly seen and thought (rightly or wrongly) to say something about the user. Many people are very proud of the type of car they drive. Most people who ride motorcycles have very strong opinions about the different brands and styles available. Many people (certainly not all, but many) who drive a Prius do so as much because they think it says something about them as for any other reason. As others have said, people will find different forms of tribalism in just about any public activity.