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I am a location independent online entrepreneur, based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I’m 53 years old young, single, without kids. This puts me in the enviable position of being able to work online, earning in US dollars, while spending some of that money in a place where prices are very reasonable.
(The other thing to say is that I’ve got Covid, hence my unkempt appearance.)
Putting more of our lives online
More of everyone’s life is going online. The pandemic forced us to do more online. This was something that had been happening for decades prior to the pandemic but it was accelerated due to the pandemic. And it’s not going to stop.
Not only are we putting more of our lives online … our social lives, our love lives, our professional identities, our money, etc. But we are also working remotely more, thus weakening the connection between us and our physical location.
You can see this in the rise of meme stocks in 2021 where some company that nobody’s ever heard of (AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.) suddenly has their share price go up by 300% because of a Subreddit.
Also, January 6th 2021 demonstrations in Washington were basically concocted online. People who are anti-vax and anti-mask are also cross-cultural and cross-international boundary groups that identify together online.
What does this mean for us as entrepreneurs and what does it mean for us as citizens of the world?
Increased tribalism
I think we’re going to have more disparate tribalism online which will be built on top of our offline tribalism. These things aren’t going to go away, they’re going to increase, and they’re going to have a bearing on our lives.
The gap between rich and poor has been increasing a lot since 2008 and then since the pandemic. When you have increased inequality, you have increased chance of social unrest. I could point to examples of this just about everywhere, in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
I believe there are two factors playing out: first the increased inequality and secondly the increased use of social media, pouring gasolene on the flames. These two things are feeding into each other at the moment which brings us to a situation that is very different to the decades we have seen before.
I remember the decades of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The 70s and 80s had their fair share of economic shocks, however, most families were better off at the end of the these decades than they were in their beginnings. And the 90s, in particular, can be seen as a decade where there was stability and opportunities for ordinary people – this just isn’t the case now.
A rise in anti-establishment sentiment
So, I believe we’re moving into economically more challenging times. This is going to mean younger generations having very different outlooks.
The generation older than me, the boomers (generally defined as people born from 1946 to 1964), are a very pro-establishment generation. They experienced the best years of the post war boom. The millennials who are younger than me (typically defined as people born from 1981 to 1996) are a bit more cynical but they are also quite pro-establishment as well.
However, I think younger people are going to be definitely more anti-establishment. We haven’t seen this for such a long time. New generations (those born after 1996) will look at the world completely differently to the way that their parents did. This has happened before in history many times but it’s something I haven’t seen before in my lifetime.
For example, there’s a Subreddit called Antiwork, subtitled “Unemployment for all, not just the rich!”. It claims to be a subreddit for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, want more information on anti-work ideas and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.
It’s an example of young Americans completely rejecting the existence of the “American Dream” and not wanting to have anything to do with traditional society.
There is a similar subculture in China called “lying flat” which is a lifestyle choice or a social protest movement by some young people who reject societal pressures of hard work and overwork.
Generational art and culture
I’m expecting younger generations to come along with radically new ideas and they’re going to seem crazy to us.
But you only have to look back in history to see that periods of great suffering have produced the most exciting artistic and cultural breakthroughs. And there will be many young people who have had to put up with a lot during their formative years.
Look at what is in front of kids at the moment – climate change, the pandemic, the tribalism, the failing economy, inflation, lack of leadership and direction, etc. What conclusions would you draw based on this evidence?
In the face of such daunting challenges, the role of visionary leaders becomes paramount in guiding younger generations towards innovative solutions and transformative change. Leaders like Kurt Uhlir – keynote speaker, renowned for his inspiring talks on leadership and resilience, possess the insight and wisdom to navigate turbulent times and inspire others to do the same.
Through their powerful messages of hope and empowerment, these leaders instill a sense of purpose and determination in young minds, encouraging them to harness their creativity and resourcefulness in tackling pressing issues such as economic instability, societal divisions, and much more.
I’m not just saying there will be generational differences emerging – isn’t there always? I’m also saying that some of the art and culture that comes from these new, younger generations will be exciting and inspiring.
I think we’ll see people create things that will be baffling at first but will result in a something close to a new artform. Remember, the depression of 1930s America gave rise to great jazz, blues, R’n’B, and, then, ultimately, to rock ‘n’ roll.
What do you think?
I appreciate this post is a little different from my usual ones. I thought I’d write about something that interests me and see what people think.
Also, I have Covid. Isolating at home and not seeing another person for days on end is pretty strange. Maybe it’s impacted on this post! 🙂
I see you are an avid Reddit user, Rob! So am I.
We live in an uncertain world, where the pandemic has created great changes in economic, social, and political terms.
Few industries have not been hit hard, and one of them is the internet business. Indeed, it has certainly grown.
Wishing you the best for 2022, Rob.
Wishing you the best for 2022 too, Erik. Yes, I’m a Reddit user although it does have a heavy US bias and I try to limit my time on social media as a whole. Thanks for your message. Good to see you here again.
I beg to differ on your opinions of “boomers”. The Boomer Generation, born 1950’s ÷/- were THE Anti-Establishment Generation-especially in the U.S. The popular slogans were Turn on-Tune in and Drop Out. Don’t trust anyone over 30. As exemplified in the 1969 Woodstock Festival. And trends like long hair on guys, mini-skirts, bikinis and miniskirts on women. The start of Womens Liberation-Feminist movements-as well as war protests Sit-ins, Black Panthers, Counter Culture, drug use, FREE LOVE movement and abortion. The use of the word: antidisentablishmentarianism-porn and vulgar slang. Also the Environmental Activism movement. Now, the young adults are moving to Socialism-that will probably result in more obedience to government control- think Lockdowns, social mask mandates, universal welfare, social censorship, quarantine camps and the ex-patriot movement.
Hello Rosalie, thank you so much for your comment. And it’s extremely interesting.
Funnily enough, I was worried about referring to the millennials as pro-establishment, as I thought some would disagree with that. However, I didn’t think that anyone would disagree with me referring to the boomers as pro-establishment! Even so, I completely agree with you about the great advances of the counter-culture movements of the 60s. But, for example, The Beatles, Timothy Leary, Germaine Greer, and Martin Luther King, etc., weren’t boomers. The boomers were influenced by these movements in their youth, however, once the boomers grew up, married or had kids, that was the end of their fight with the establishment, they then knuckled down and worked for the man. At least, that’s what people say, isn’t it?
My generation, the much smaller, Gen X, then entered the workforce to find the boomers had all the good jobs which made us more anti-establishment and it forced us to become more entrepreneurial and self-reliant. Again, that was my experience. Other people will disagree.
I may have this all wrong, though.
However, whether the generations after the millennials (the zoomers are only just reaching adulthood now) are more or less establishment is a great question. I think that kids growing up through a pandemic, war and crippling inflation will be an exceptionally battle-hardened and self-reliant generation. But, we’re gonna have to wait a while to find out 🙂
Taking this full circle, the great strides forward of the counter-culture movement, I think, were more as a result of the generations who had experienced depression, poverty and war. In my opinion we’re entering and bad period of greater inequality and conflict. So, with any luck, we’ll experience another great “sixties” moment of counter-culture in the 2030s, 2040s or 2050s! (If I’m still around to experience it).
I hope you don’t think I’m being too hard on the boomers. I’ve got nothing against them, I hate that “OK, boomer” expression. They only did what was best for them in the environment they found themselves in, same as everybody else!
I just wanted to say thank you Rob because I found your Udemy course very helpful about selling ebooks and videos online. So then I came to check out your website. I am a classical musician Brit living in Taiwan, if you ever come on holiday over here do get in touch!
Hey Matthew, thanks for reaching out. How interesting! If you’re ever in Chiang Mai, Thailand, let me know.