Above ground, in the sunlight, grain silos provide much of our daily sustenance. 

Below ground, in the darkness, hides another kind of silo. 

But it is not the missile silo that is killing us; people are disappearing into the bone-dry quicksand of grain silos in less than 5 seconds.

“Once entrapment begins, it happens very quickly due to the suction-like action of the grain; Researchers in Germany found that an average person who has sunk into grain once it has stopped flowing can get out only as long as it has not reached knee level; at waist level assistance is required. Once the grain has reached the chest a formal rescue effort must be undertaken.” – WIKIPEDIA

I have my beliefs and you have your beliefs. 

Belief is not a group project. But a sense of belonging, the creation of a community, and the establishment of a society have always been group projects. 

Covid-19 took the face-to-faceness of community and society away from us, leaving us no alternative but to gather online in echo-chamber silos where we can hear our own opinions voiced oh-so-eloquently by others. 

If we sink into the life-giving grain of these online silos, we will suffocate.

When you know a person’s silos, you know everything about them that matters.

Cambridge Analytica gained access to information on 50 million Facebook users as a way to identify the personalities of American voters and influence their behavior. Cambridge Analytica was merely an expression of Online Marketing 101.

I’m not saying it was right. What I’m saying is that when you are in a silo, you are easy to manipulate.

We segregate ourselves into silos based on (1.) our beliefs, and (2.) our activities. 

The most successful online marketers are those who know their ABC’s.

A: Identify a tribe.
B: Develop the tribe.
C: Market to the tribe.

Each of us participates in a handful of tribes; it’s impossible to avoid. 

Just try to remember that each tribe exists in a silo – an echo chamber – where it is easy to become convinced that “everyone” thinks and feels like you do. 

But your silo isn’t the world.