(CNN)How did the twin political earthquakes of Brexit and Donald Trump's victory happen? There are many reasons, but one answer lies in the technological and social media revolution of the last decade.
In 2006, Time magazine unveiled its Person of the Year as "You": "You control the Information Age," the headline ran. "Welcome to your world."
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While there is nothing new in generations feeling the pinch, this mismatch did not previously exist because social media did not exist: there is now a gulf between the control that is felt only virtually, via social media, and the real control people feel over their own lives to improve their job prospects and living standards. When politicians talk about Brexit and Trump voters feeling "left behind" by globalization, they tell only part of the story. They felt the empowerment given to them by social media, which made the sense of feeling left behind in the real world all the worse. When Miliband wrote that the "I can" generation wanted "real control," he was right. But this generation suddenly found itself saying "I cannot." Having only virtual power -glimpsed, fleeting, intangible -- led to a frustration and, in turn, a demand for real change. Twitter and Facebook became echo chambers of "fake news" and anger as this frustration boiled over.
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