Horizontal politics
Politics used to be vertically organized. Now it's going horizontal.
It is not who you vote for anymore, but where do you shop. What you buy or don't buy. Which companies do you work or don't work for. Who you take capital from or which companies do you invest in.
We are abandoning the world of vertical politics, where you choose your local representatives. Your choice has second order effects in the higher levels of the stack (national, regional, international politics), but your daily life can be largely apolitical.
In the world of horizontal politics the ideological war rages at all levels. Politics is no longer bottoms up. It is now tops down. Global ideological war has a bigger impact on your life than local political battles.
I noticed that I've been paying attention to the US politics, while I pay no attention to politics in Europe – where I grew up and still work and live.
I'm afraid that it is going to be harder to opt out from politics in this new world. If you have any influence sooner or later the battling parties will demand you take a side.
Corporations signaling belonging to an ideological tribe is a sign of the world to come. Depending on your political preferences you may boycott or spend money with Nike, Gillette or Ben & Jerries to make a point.
All commercial brands have the same goal – to be profitable. They would pursue it by decisions in positioning, such as:
* affordable
* luxurious
* great service
etc.
Tribal affiliation is becoming a new dimension of brand positioning. We will probably see more examples of that.