Why Brexit Can Teach Us Universal Lessons

Brexit…Wait!! Keep reading—it's not about Brexit per se, but rather about our on and offline behavior and the dichotomy of the digital world we live in.

You see, Brexit, to some, represents a return to self…nativism…siloed thinking…rejectionism with a touch of racist xenophobia. To me, though, Brexit represents a rejection of homogenization—not as fine a distinction as you might think, and not mere semantics. Stay with me…

Now, many read Brexit as a repudiation of globalism, or at best, regionalism. Yet I would bet most of the UK population who voted for Brexit never considered that their vote meant building a fortress around the UK with no access to other markets. To the contrary, they like their French wine and Italian fabrics and American hamburgers as much as the next First World nation. But they also want their own “Brand” to shine bright in the firmament.

To me, the interesting dichotomy is that here we are, in a 24/7 always on world, where random actors suddenly gain 15mgs of worldwide fame—like Korean Pop groups, for example, or a stupid tweet by some politician—where we can buy goods in a city in one continent, and have it shipped from a warehouse in another, or where a young woman on a crusade can catch the attention of the world.

Here we are in a global communications network that can connect us instantaneously to almost anyone anywhere…and yet in the UK, USA, France and many other countries, the welcome mat is being rolled up and put away. And despite our protestations of global kumbaya, we are increasingly siloed by algorithms, fake news and self-interest, even as we thumbs-up and share posts by universal faux celebrities (attaining that status not because talent or contribution, but simply because they have cultivated fame).

The dichotomy: on the one hand, we are immersed in a never-ending glut of global digital sharing, and on the other, we are increasingly living in ever-shrinking circles of partisan thinking and participation.

So, which is it? Global or Silo? Us or me?

And that’s why we need to learn from Brexit—because it’s both, and they can co-exist so long as we don’t try to homogenize everyone and everything.

My generation thought that Facebook, as an example, was about accumulating the most “friends,” and in doing so redefined an age-old concept of friendship. The younger generation wants a return to real friendship and intimacy, while also remaining happy to participate in broader discussions, making a distinction between the two.

We use our devices to connect with content from around the globe, and then we use them to find our way to a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Global-Local. Not the GLOCAL we once talked about, but distinct behaviors, like Brexit: don’t homogenize me…don’t make me a faceless global citizen first, respect me, my brand, and then I’m happy to participate.

That’s my takeaway from Brexit. I’m not a politician or an economist or a foreign policy wonk. I’m a mere marketer who has spent his life helping to develop insight into human behavior, and as such, I see Brexit as a wake-up call to brands and companies all over the world who need to adjust their thinking to the new reality. It's all about PEOPLE…individuals…me and you, and not about the faceless masses reached in “personalized” targeting by ever-changing algorithms.

Listen:

“Henry VIII was a bastard, but he was my kind of bastard”—Edward Leigh MP

And there you have it. We need to understand that everyone has their own kind of bastard…What do you think?