Physical proximity isn't necessary for music to create a shared experience. While in congested traffic driving to work I've seen people's heads moving, or their hands tapping their steering wheels, in a manner that convinces me that they're listening to the same radio station as me. Even without establishing eye contact, we're connected.

In Israel people connect each Memorial Day - without needing external signs like steering wheel tapping. Israel's radio stations broadcast a very distinct playlist geared toward establishing a shared, and some might say prescribed, mood. But though this creates a shared experience, in the last few years this externally imposed mood has conflicted with the fact that the musical tastes of many of the soldiers whom we're supposed to be remembering were considerably different from what's being broadcast. But broadcasting loud rock on Memorial Day somehow seems very out of place. MTV has found what seems to me a very satisfying middle ground. By broadcasting the playlists of fallen soldiers it not only establishes an appropriate atmosphere of respect, it also succeeds in being more personal than the traditional playlist. And the sense of community is still maintained.