When you are sailing in open ocean and approaching land after days at sea, there are three cases:
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You see the land itself
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You see unique cloud formations above the land, indicating land below
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You see colour variations in the clouds as a reflection of shallow (reef) water below, indicating land
When you are free-diving under the water, looking for big fish, there are again three cases:
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You see the big fish directly
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You see birds on the surface signalling a feeding frenzy, so you become alert to big fish below
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You see activity (fear, movement) with the type of small fish that the big fish eat, so you become alert to big fish nearby
In two thirds of the cases, a significant event creates a secondary disturbance to the ordinary flow of the environment – it’s usually the disturbance that we perceive, not the event itself.
When we want to create something notable in the culture, it’s the disturbance that the act or event creates that is going to help it spread.
If there’s no disturbance, it’s not being talked about.
If it’s not being talked about, it’s not spreading*.
*”online” is simply an extension of this, not a separate case.
