The rise of Kekonomics has spawned not only a critique of traditional economic systems but also a unique lexicon to describe its underlying mechanisms and cultural dynamics. This glossary serves as a guide to the emergent language of Kekonomics.
Much like any disruptive phenomenon, Kekonomics has necessitated the invention of new terms, blending internet slang, economic jargon, and philosophical concepts. These words reflect the chaotic interplay of irony, humor, and speculative culture that defines this satirical framework.
In navigating this glossary, you will encounter a linguistic toolkit for making sense of a world where memes transcend humor to become economic, cultural, and even political forces.
Accelerationism
A political and social theory suggesting that accelerating capitalism’s processes can lead to its collapse or transformation. In Kekonomics, this concept humorously mirrors the chaotic acceleration of meme culture.
Affective Labor
The emotional work involved in creating connections or producing value, often seen in digital spaces. In Kekonomics, meme creators and shitposters perform affective labor by eliciting reactions and engagement.
Algorithmic Capitalism
An economic model driven by algorithms optimizing content delivery for engagement. Kekonomics highlights how algorithms amplify the value of memes through prioritizing sensational or humorous content.
Attention Arbitrage
The practice of capturing attention in one context and redirecting it to another for profit. In Kekonomics, memes are used to drive traffic to products, ideas, or political movements.
Attention Economy
An economic system where attention is a scarce and valuable resource. In Kekonomics, attention becomes currency, with memes, shitposts, and viral content functioning as commodities.
Blockchain Memetics
The use of blockchain technology to validate the authenticity and ownership of memes, turning them into tradable assets (e.g., NFTs). Kekonomics critiques this monetization of cultural humor.
Clown World
A meme-derived term reflecting a perception of absurdity and chaos in modern society. It plays a key role in the ironic and nihilistic foundation of Kekonomics.
Cognitive Capitalism
An economic system where knowledge, creativity, and attention are key drivers of value. Kekonomics reframes this by showing how humor and absurdity become forms of cognitive labor.
Crowdsourced Capital
Value generated collectively by internet communities, often without monetary exchange. Memes in Kekonomics are a form of crowdsourced capital, where users co-create meaning and value.
Cultural Commodification
The transformation of cultural products into commodities for sale. Kekonomics exposes this process by showing how memes, initially created for humor, become monetized.
Digital Barter
The exchange of non-monetary assets, like memes, for social capital or attention. Kekonomics reveals how this form of barter replaces traditional economic exchanges in digital ecosystems.
Discordianism
A parody religion and philosophical framework centered on chaos and absurdity. Its principles resonate with Kekonomics, emphasizing humor and subversion in the creation of meaning.
Economic Absurdity
A concept in Kekonomics describing how value in digital economies is often based on humor, irony, or randomness, rather than traditional supply-and-demand principles.
Emojinomics
The economy of visual symbols, such as emojis and memes, that create emotional and cultural value. Kekonomics explores how these symbols gain economic traction in digital spaces.
Gig Meme Economy
A decentralized economy where individuals create and distribute memes as freelance cultural products. This mirrors the gig economy but focuses on humor and influence rather than physical labor.
Humor Arbitrage
Exploiting humor to create disproportionate value, such as turning a viral meme into a profitable NFT or merchandise. Kekonomics identifies this as a key strategy in meme-driven economies.
Hyperstition
A concept from speculative philosophy referring to fictional ideas that become reality through belief and action. In Kekonomics, memes and online culture act as hyperstitions, shaping behaviors, beliefs, and even economic value.
Internet Monetization
The process of generating revenue through online content. Kekonomics critiques how platforms profit from user-generated memes while creators rarely see direct monetary benefits.
Irony
A central mode of expression in Kekonomics. It represents detachment, humor, and a layered approach to meaning, often used to mask serious critiques beneath absurdity.
Kek
A deity-like figure originating from internet meme culture, often depicted as a green frog (Pepe). Kek embodies the unpredictable, chaotic, and comedic essence of Kekonomics.
Kekonomics
A satirical economic framework that highlights the interplay of memes, digital culture, and absurdity in the creation of value. It critiques traditional economics by showcasing how humor, attention, and chaos drive modern digital economies.
Meme Arbitrage
The exploitation of viral trends by translating them into merchandise, NFTs, or other monetizable formats. This is a key mechanism of value creation in Kekonomics.
Meme Capital
The symbolic or actual value generated by memes within digital economies. Memes can influence attention, shape discourse, and even translate into monetary value through virality.
Meme Futures
A speculative concept in Kekonomics where the future popularity of memes is traded like financial derivatives, based on predicted virality.
Metamodernism
A cultural movement that oscillates between modernist sincerity and postmodern irony. Kekonomics aligns with metamodernism by blending irony with a hint of genuine critique and playfulness.
Microtransactions
Small, frequent financial transactions often used in digital platforms and games. Kekonomics satirizes their role in monetizing attention and creating fragmented economies.
Monetized Irony
The process of turning ironic content into a revenue stream, such as selling ironic merchandise or NFT versions of memes. Kekonomics views this as a distortion of authentic humor.
NPC (Non-Player Character)
A meme symbolizing conformity and lack of individuality. In Kekonomics, NPCs represent the “passive participants” in meme-driven economies, contrasted with the creators of chaos and value.
Platform Capitalism
An economic model where platforms like Facebook and Twitter generate value by hosting user content. Kekonomics highlights how these platforms exploit memes and attention without sharing profits with creators.
Post-Scarcity Humor
The abundance of memes in digital spaces creates a “post-scarcity” condition where humor becomes the main currency for attention. Kekonomics theorizes how this abundance disrupts traditional economic models.
Red Pill/Blue Pill
A metaphor derived from The Matrix, representing the choice between harsh truth (red pill) and comforting illusion (blue pill). Kekonomics adopts this metaphor to explore the tension between awareness and detachment in digital culture.
Shitcoin
A derogatory term for low-value cryptocurrencies. In Kekonomics, this term also humorously critiques the proliferation of trivial or joke-based economic systems, like Dogecoin.
Shitposting
The act of posting deliberately low-quality or nonsensical content online. In Kekonomics, shitposting is a form of disruption, challenging traditional notions of value and meaning.
Simulacrum
A term from philosopher Jean Baudrillard, describing a copy without an original. In Kekonomics, memes often function as simulacra, perpetuating humor and critique detached from any concrete reality.
SnakeByte
A fictional organization or entity within Kekonomics’ narratives, representing the intersection of meme culture and digital activism. It reflects how communities can mobilize around absurd or ironic symbols.
Social Capital
The value derived from social networks and relationships. In Kekonomics, social capital is often built and traded through memes, likes, and shares.
Speculative Absurdity
A term describing the investment in seemingly meaningless digital assets, like meme-based NFTs, purely for speculative purposes. Kekonomics uses this to parody traditional speculative markets.
Stonks
A meme-based misspelling of “stocks,” used to parody financial markets. Stonks highlight the irrational and humor-driven dynamics in meme economies.
Virality
The rapid spread of content across digital platforms. In Kekonomics, virality is the mechanism through which memes gain value and influence within the attention economy.
Virality Capital
The potential of content to generate widespread attention, which can be leveraged for profit. Kekonomics shows how this capital drives meme economies.
Virtual Scarcity
The artificial creation of rarity in digital spaces, often through NFTs or limited-edition digital assets. Kekonomics critiques how scarcity is manufactured to create economic value in virtual environments.
Wojak
A popular meme character used to express a wide range of emotions and situations. In Kekonomics, Wojak symbolizes the human side of meme culture, reflecting vulnerability, humor, and existential angst.