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  • The first is the idea, popularised in the subsequent coinage by David Wong, of the monkeysphere, the idea that an individual, practically speaking, has a cognitive limit on the number of people they can maintain stable social relationships with -- that number being about 150.

    Archive 2008-09-01 Hal Duncan 2008

  • The first is the idea, popularised in the subsequent coinage by David Wong, of the monkeysphere, the idea that an individual, practically speaking, has a cognitive limit on the number of people they can maintain stable social relationships with -- that number being about 150.

    Notes on Strange Fiction: Narrative's Function (3) Hal Duncan 2008

  • Most people relate to as many other humans as they can contemplate (their monkeysphere, I guess).

    Comments for Damn Interesting Lyzbeth 2010

  • Together with about 75 of my closest friends (that’s half a monkeysphere for those of you doing the conversion in your head) we took down 1 1/2 kegs of beer this last weekend and we’re shooting for 2 coming up.

    PRO LIFERS PROTEST ‘HORTON HEARS A WHO’ 2008

  • I’m sorry, but until you have an avatar you exist outside my monkeysphere and I cannot hear you in my head.

    MORE LIKE… CRAPPY… BADISON! 2007

  • So what am I supposed to do when I follow about 150 people the monkeysphere) my choice, but about 2000 people follow me – am I supposed to a) block 1850 of the 2000? or b) follow all of them and keep following any new person who follows me just for some random metric.

    Attention + Influence do not equal Authority « BuzzMachine 2008

  • The teacher doesn’t count in your monkeysphere if you see her in the classroom only, because she remains one-dimensional.

    Reboot9 — Leisa Reichelt: Ambient Intimacy — Climb to the Stars 2007

  • These pricks, you wonder how they could keep a monkeysphere together let alone an interstellar civilization.

    Libertarian Blog Place 2010

Comments

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  • The small number of individuals you can recognize as human, according to David Wong. Apparently the maximum number of people you can fit in your monkeysphere is around 150. Anyone else on earth is just an anonymous entity you couldn't give two flying flips about.

    May 23, 2007

  • I wonder how that works for teachers. I'm mentally starting to count everybody I know by name. Is this only facial recognition?

    May 23, 2007

  • No, it's caring for certain people. David Wong's article mentions that you care for a family member much more than a stranger. You probably don't care about the garbage collector at all. Wong says you consider those furthest away from your monkeysphere to be totally inhuman, like you don't even recognize them as real people.

    Needless to say, it's an interesting concept that I don't agree with much at all. ;-)

    May 23, 2007