I think the phrasing is what’s objectionable here. Sure most users are lurkers, but does that mean they’ll never produce anything original? Give me a break. This is just a roundabout way of calling other people “NPCs”
I disagree with their term “mimic”, as if anything mimics would be their own social class (see for instance clickbait/“prank” channels on YT, content creators on TikTok), but the underlying principle is correct.
He is not stating they will never produce anything original ever, that’s simply absurd. However he is saying consistent content creation is few and far between compared to the masses who lurk. And that it’s unreasonable to expect different given that real life obligations such as work sap away a good portion of our energy.
All three terms are a bit odd to me, but I think the theory is valid. In the advertising and fashion worlds don't these map to "trendsetters", "influencers", and "followers"?
Fashion companies look for trendsetters to see what may be coming next, and pay influencers to advertise to everyone else (followers).
