The Simplicity Loop

The Simplicity Loop arises when ideas are judged by popularity. A simple idea becomes popular, and generates a consensus which leads to further simplification. Why a simple idea? For a message to spread easily, it must be short and filled with redundancy\cite{Shannon1948}. For example, this tweet, "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words" spread to 2.7 million people. In it, singer Ariana Grande post repeats a message of remorse in each short sentence. Meanwhile, intricate, meaning-rich posts such as this documentary on systems theory https://archive.org/details/Luhmann1973, remain obscure.  People are lazy and when given a choice between simplicity and complexity will tend towards simplicity \cite{Fiske_2013}. Simple spreads better. Simple becomes more popular.