It used to be very easy to say that we were Mexican, Spanish or Argentinian and have the same references, traditions and similar behaviors as others compatriots. It was relatively easy to define our influences and define ourselves as unicultural. Living in these countries we surrounded ourselves almost exclusively with what we saw around us - from time to time we could take a trip abroad or watch an international program, but it was nothing more than just another experience.
Today, however, the world opened up. Migration levels have increased, travel has become more accessible and we have in the point of view of creators and influencers, with information from all over the world. We are in constant contact with other cultures; We consume them, and they fascinate us.
Before it was said that the earth and the blood They were what determined us. Today many of us, before identifying ourselves as “Martínez”, identify ourselves as K-pop fans. We connect with the values of South Korea, Haiyu and Gangnam; with the surprising and diverse that it has to offer us and that is totally foreign to what we experience every day at a family gathering.
It's not necessarily that we prefer that to our own culture, but it allows us to put into perspective what we learned as truth in our home or school. It's almost like by consuming other cultures we are adding layers to our personality. We went from tell me where you are from and I will tell you who you are; to “tell me what culture you consume and I will tell you who you are.”
When we consume other cultures our frames of reference expand. We make a hybrid that It makes us more tolerant people. We do not reject the difference, but we already live with integrated curiosity and global interest; We even learn to appreciate the best and the worst of our own culture.
Neflix has an increasingly broader catalog of Bollywood films and we can immerse ourselves in the contextual culture of that genre, making us feel not only that we understand it - even without having traveled to India - but that we can integrate it into our idiosyncrasy. There are apps like OMEGLE, Talk to strangers; where you can chat or video call people random from all over the world profiling with some common interest. Our hunger to consume other cultures is more present than ever.
The relevant thing is that this transcends tastes and hobbies and ends up shaping how we think and act. By consuming cultures, our minds are opened, shaped; and we can even begin to think and act as a person from a country totally foreign to our own would.
Now that - finally - we are questioning consumer segmentations defined by age and gender, we could go a step further: move from segmenting by social network to segmenting by what we identify with. What if we launched a new service for those who identify with country-American culture? What if we better target women who identify with the French maternity style, regardless of their age or where they live? By refocusing from the consumption of cultures, the possibilities expand.