β Serendipity vs Gatekeeping
β’ 297 words β’ 2 min β’ updated
Serendipity, via DuckDuckGo dictionary:
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
6. Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.
Gatekeeping, via Cambridge dictionary:
The activity of trying to control who gets particular resources, power, or opportunities, and who does not.
Serendipity spreader, via yours truly1:
- One who facilitates (spreads) serendipity amongst its acquaintances and peers.
Gatekeeper, via DuckDuckGo dictionary:
- One who controls access to something, such as information or services.
Definitions set, here comes the fun part:
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Lemma #1: Gatekeepers are, by definition, the opposite of serendipity spreaders. You can visualize them in a 2D scale, from left to right, somewhat akin to how people attempt to project politics onto a line.
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Lemma #2: Open Source Software (OSS) is a giftβ’ driven primarily by serendipity spreaders.
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Lemma #3: In terms of friendships, the optimal point of joy and satisfaction lies within seeking and maintaining serendipity spreaders whilst avoiding gatekeepers at all costs. It yields a rewarding continuous feedback loop.
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Lemma #4: Gatekeepers drag serendipity spreaders down. They are like leeches (parasites).
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Lemma #5: Serendipity spreaders thrive together.
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Lemma #6: In a set full of serendipity spreaders, one gatekeeper is enough to disrupt the entire group, thereby leading to the conversion of new gatekeepers.
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Lemma #7: In a set full of gatekeepers, one serendipity spreader is enough to spread serendipity; however, the bar to convert to more serendipity spreaders is extremely high, and it’s very taxing.
Several conclusions can be drawn from these lemmas; nonetheless, this is not a blog about philosophy or morals, therefore the exercise is left to the reader.
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I coined this term myself, inspired by hearing about superspreaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The definition was written without AI. This is a badge of honour these days, isn’t it? I’ll take it. ↩︎