A nerd snipe is a special case of human vulnerability: getting tunnel visioned into some side quest.
In some ways, it’s like other snipes:
status – clout, prestige
FOMO – hype, trends
emotion – outrage, drama, rabbit holes
Nerds just get sniped by ideas and tech. Same circuit, different bait?
Not really. Status, fomo, and emotions come from variations of mimetic desire—people don’t just want things; they want what others want.
A nerd snipe is different. It’s not about imitating who desires something, but how they desire—nerds model curiosity itself.
The mimetic hook isn’t prestige or belonging; it’s the gravitational pull of an interesting problem, and the allure of skill and knowledge. 2 replies
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