Another classic on movements, which hugely applies to crypto, AI, and even meme groups:
Geeks, Mops, Sociopaths
First small group of creators who invent an exciting Thing.
The new scene draws fanatics. Fanatics don’t create, but they contribute energy (time, money, adulation, organization, analysis) to support the creators.
Creators and fanatics are both geeks. They totally love the New Thing, they’re fascinated with all its esoteric ins and outs, and they spend all available time either doing it or talking about it.
If the scene is unusually exciting, and the New Thing can be appreciated without having to get utterly geeky about details, it draws mops.
Mops are fans, but not rabid fans like the fanatics. They show up to have a good time, and contribute as little as they reasonably can in exchange.
The mop invasion
Geeks welcome mops, at first at least. Fanatics want share their obsession, and mops initially validate it for them too. However, as mop numbers grow, they become a headache.
Mops just passively soak up the good stuff. You may even have to push them around the floor; they have to be led to the drink. At best you can charge them admission or a subscription fee, but they’ll inevitably argue that this is wrong because capitalism is evil, and also because they forgot their wallet.
Mops also dilute the culture.
Mops relate to each other in “normal” ways, like people do on TV. During intermission, geeks want to talk about the New Thing, but mops blather about sportsball and celebrities.
Also, the mops also seem increasingly entitled, treating the fanatics as service workers.
Fanatics may be generous, but they signed up to support geeks, not mops. At this point, they may all quit, and the subculture collapses.
The sociopath invasion
Unless sociopaths show up, a subculture at this stage is ripe for exploitation. The creators generate cultural capital, i.e. cool. The fanatics generate social capital: a network of relationships—strong ones among the geeks, and weaker but numerous ones with mops.
The mops, when properly squeezed, produce liquid capital, i.e. money.
The sociopaths quickly become best friends with selected creators. They dress just like the creators—only better. They talk just like the creators—only smoother. They may even do some creating—competently, if not creatively. Geeks may not be completely fooled, but they also are clueless about what the sociopaths are up to.
Mops are fooled. They don’t care so much about details, and the sociopaths look to them like creators, only better. Sociopaths become the coolest kids in the room, demoting the creators. At this stage, they take their pick of the best-looking mops to sleep with. They’ve extracted the cultural capital.
So what is to be done?
Geeks can refuse to admit mops. In fact, successful subcultures always do create costly barriers to entry, to keep out the uncommitted. Often there’s a struggle between geeks who like their cozy little club as it is, and geeks who want a shot at greatness.
Alternatively, you could recognize sociopaths and eject them. Geeks may be pretty good at the recognizing, but are lousy at the ejecting.
Mops don’t recognize sociopaths, and anyway care. Sociopaths manipulate the mops, and it’s hard for the geeks to overrule an overwhelming majority.
Anyway, horribly, geeks need sociopaths—if the New Thing is ever going to be more than a geeky hobby.
So what is to be done?
Be slightly evil
Be slightly evil. Or: geeks need to learn and use some of the sociopaths’ tricks. Then geeks can capture more of the value they create (and get better at ejecting true sociopaths).
“Slightly evil” defense of a subculture requires realism:
letting go of eternalist hope and faith in imaginary guarantees that the New Thing will triumph.
Full Article:
Meaningness
Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths in subculture evolution | Meaningness
How muggles and sociopaths invade and undermine creative subcultures; and how to stop them.
— 100%
Mops help sociopaths wreck movements,
by being absolute idiots who are easily manipulated by smooth manipulators
There are 2 viable solutions, though uncomfortable
