3 ms·
high-signal low-content... for example, if you say a term like "gun control" to a collection of people, and every person in the group has a clear idea of what i
by tunesmith 11y ago
high-signal low-content... for example, if you say a term like "gun control" to a collection of people, and every person in the group has a clear idea of what it means, and yet the definition might be different for every person. So, the content of the term has low meaning overall, while as a signal it evokes a strong response.
- aninhumer 11y agoSo, I get what you're saying, but I don't think "signal" is a great term for that, because it comes from information theory, and there its definition more closely matches what you're calling "content". I'm not sure what you could call emotional impact to make a similarly pithy description though.
- tunesmith 11y agoYeah, that's a good point - I have heard "signal" used more in this context in social sciences, like "dog whistle" in politics. But it'd be nice to come up with something clearer and just as pithy.