Network ties and interaction rituals: an examination of social drinking

Abstract

The use of rituals to bolster social cohesion is well-established theoretically, but alternative outcomes of rituals—when individuals or groups fail to gain, or actively lose, social capital – have been neglected. This research investigates a rarely studied but common interaction ritual—adult social drinking – to explore how network ties and interaction rituals interact producing variegated outcomes. A framework is introduced that, based on the strength of ties of participants (social network theory) and degree of synchronicity obtained (interaction ritual theory), demonstrates four outcomes of everyday rituals: bonding, bridging, blocking and breaching. The study demonstrates interaction rituals, with their attending norms and patterns, foster group identity and cohesiveness, and reinforce prejudices, distrust, and group isolation, which, in the end, can serve to produce or reproduce inequality.