The Cognitive Drift Project is the primary public repository for the Cognitive Drift framework by A. Jacobs.
Cognitive Drift describes how human cognition gradually reorganizes under conditions of continual mediation, information overload, optimization pressure, and artificial intelligence. As more experience passes through interfaces, algorithms, and compressed representations, attention, judgment, and meaning become increasingly shaped by representations rather than direct experience.
00_Start_Here
01_Overview_and_Guides
02_Core_Concept_Papers
03_Preprints
If you're new to the framework, begin with 00_Start_Here, which provides an introduction and recommended reading path.
The remaining folders are organized as follows:
- 01_Overview_and_Guides — Introductory documents, definitions, visual guides, and orientation materials.
- 02_Core_Concept_Papers — Canonical concept papers describing the Cognitive Drift framework and its related concepts.
- 03_Preprints — Longer research papers and working manuscripts.
The Cognitive Drift framework examines how cognition adapts under modern informational conditions through concepts including:
- Cognitive Drift
- Filter Fatigue
- Co-Cognition
- Cognitive Hygiene
- Recursive Compression
- Attention Fragmentation
- Distributed Cognition
- Meaning Exhaustion
- Judgment Under Mediation
The Cognitive Drift framework provides a descriptive model for understanding how cognition changes under sustained interaction with digital media, algorithmic systems, and AI-assisted environments. It is intended as a framework for cognitive and informational analysis rather than a clinical or diagnostic model.
The Cognitive Drift Project is part of the broader Reality Drift framework.
- Reality Drift Library — The central framework and supporting concepts.
- Semantic Fidelity Project — Meaning preservation across language, AI systems, and representation.
Jacobs, A. (2026). Cognitive Drift Project.
GitHub: https://github.com/therealitydrift/cognitive-drift-project
This repository is distributed under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.