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.