Tribes are very complicated creatures- and despite the name they look nothing like the primitive ones of yesteryear. They're a lot more like global societies that people voluntarily join. While some tribes may grow to include millions of people, many will remain local so they can offer a deeper level of kinship between members. They provide many of the things government does today and they are extremely important in the context of a resource-based economy.
One of the most important differences between tribes and governments is that unlike government you can create your own tribe at any time. Imagine seriously trying that in your own country! If they didn't kill you they would lock you away for years. You can also join or leave a tribe whenever you want. While government can often be murky, tribes are completely transparent: You know exactly what you are getting when you sign up, and if you don't like it you can sue the tribe. When governments fail they resort to civil war, causing mass misery and death. When tribes fail, they just cease to exist. Governments are limited in size and scope: Once we leave the borders of our country and go somewhere else, our government can't protect us anymore. The protection of a tribe follows you no matter where you go. If someone hurts one member of a tribe, then they hurt the entire tribe. The unwise attacker could open themselves up to potentially lethal retaliation.
This is all possible because tribes are completely digital. That's right- there's no need for tribes to physically have "headquarters" to attack. It's possible for a group of friends to run their own tribe right from home, and although it'd be considered unprofessional, they could probably get people to join if they had an innovative concept. If two tribes went to war, it would be completely invisible: because it would have to be an economic one. But wars won't happen that often because people generally don't like them. All of this has profound implications: The fact that you can choose to quit means that a bad tribe will literally go out of business if enough people leave. If a tribe dips below 10,000 members, it automatically self-destructs. Conversely, you need to sign up at least 10,000 people before you can create one. The same thing happens if it's balance reaches "0"- but by then most people will have already left a long time ago. Everyone can see a tribe's real-time financial data anytime they want. Itemized revenues, reserves, balances, debts- it's all there. And the books can't be cooked.
If you're familiar with Neil Stephenson, then you've probably read The Diamond Age. In it, "Phyles" are a pretty close approximation of what Tribes may look like- the detachment of governance from territory. In the 20th century, governments constantly fought over land and resources. Two world wars and countless miniature ones. In a resource-based economy, none of that will be necessary because resources will be freely shared with everyone- so territorial government will get smaller. A lot smaller. Think around the size of a city or two. However, even with the arrival of globalization and the internet the world is still a big place. Tribes act to fill the void between government at the local and international level.
Tribes provide culture, community and a sense of belonging to their members- not unlike many games or online communities today. It's about building a rich world for your citizens to inhabit and enjoy. The only difference is that the influence of tribes extend deep into the real world. They can create real, binding laws that members must follow, and they have the right to enforce them. At the international level, tribes have the responsibility to ensure the free flow of goods, services and people between cities, along with enforcing sanctions. You may have heard about social capital, but how exactly is it earned, managed and created?
Tribes.
More than anything, tribes are economic entities, and this is what gives them their great power and importance. They are the backbone of the entire global financial system.
Tribes also provide a social safety net for their members, act as a place to safely store social capital for long periods of time (like a bank), security and protection, insurance, dispute settlement, identity verification and general fun like cruise trips or vacations. Without tribes, people would be very vulnerable to risk and sudden emergencies. When people band together to create a tribe, they are creating something incredible: A brand-new country, run just the way they like.
Take a look at each of these subsections for more information:
Creating a tribe- radiuses, info, Sometimes we all wish we could make a new country.
Joining a tribe
Buying and Selling a tribe- just like corporations, tribes can merge, be sold our bought, trading etc
Creating Culture- passed down through generations
Tribes and Cities - how tribes fund cities
How tribes generate social capital
Managing Money (include taxes and stuff)
Revenue and Taxation
Dispute resolution and Enforcement
Payment Processing
Community Management
International Level
Politics and Independence
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