What is Reality Drift?

Reality Drift describes the gradual misalignment that emerges when systems continue functioning at the level of representation while losing contact with the realities they were meant to track.

What is Synthetic Realness?

Synthetic Realness names the production of signals that feel authentic or grounded while being shaped by optimization, mediation, and performance logic.

What is Filter Fatigue?

Filter Fatigue is the exhaustion that results from navigating environments defined by constant curation, sorting, and signal overload.

What is the Optimization Trap?

The Optimization Trap occurs when a system begins optimizing the metric or proxy rather than the underlying thing it was meant to preserve.

What is Semantic Fidelity?

Semantic Fidelity refers to how well meaning is preserved as language and information move across contexts and transformations.

A recursive conceptual mind map with interconnected nodes and looping pathways, representing cognitive drift, recursive thought, and distributed cognition.

Reality Drift — Definitions & Core Concepts

March 18, 2023

Reality Drift is a framework for understanding how modern systems can remain functional while gradually losing alignment with the realities they are meant to represent. It identifies recurring structural patterns that emerge when perception, meaning, and decision-making are shaped by optimization, compression, and layered mediation.

Start Here

What Is Reality Drift?
Overview & FAQ (PDF)
Reality Drift Canonical Glossary (PDF)

Additional Framework Resources

Core Concepts
Visual Explainers
Modern Questions
Recognition Guides