How easily transmissible is an idea? You explain it to a person X, who then explains it to person Y. How easy it is for them to relay it? How likely are they to *want* to relay it? MAGA is incredibly transmissible. Internet memes are transmissible. Jacques Derrida's philosophy is less transmissible. But the least transmissible ideas you've never even heard of, just like [[The Least Famous Person in the World|the least famous person in the world]]. Transmissibility is the fitness function of a [meme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme) (in the Richard Dawkins way). It's the [k-factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-factor_(marketing)) of an idea. To make your ideas transmissible you must [[Output Compression|compress]] them, despite the faustian bargain of losing fidelity. #published 2025-02-15