kiipidest

Kiipidest (plural kiipidists) is a term found in theoretical and speculative discourse to describe a person who studies kiip, a fictional concept of ephemeral digital culture. A kiip is an ephemeral media artifact created and shared online that is designed to disappear after a short period, leaving little to no permanent record. Kiipidists examine how kiips shape attention, memory, social signaling, and group dynamics, and they may contribute to the design of kiip-inspired platforms or experimental methods for studying transient online interactions.

The term kiipidest is thought to have emerged from discussions in digital anthropology and media theory during the 2010s and 2020s. It is used mainly in academic writing, speculative fiction analysis, and hobbyist communities that explore ephemeral media practices.

Practices associated with kiipidists include field observation of kiip rituals within online communities, qualitative analysis of kiip content for themes such as immediacy and reciprocity, and collaboration with designers and archivists to document and, where possible, preserve kiip artifacts in curated collections. The field remains largely scholarly and hypothetical, with debates about ethics, memory, and cultural value of ephemeral media shaping its development.

Notable figures are fictional in most discussions, used to illustrate methodologies and debates. Related concepts include ephemeral media, digital temporality, and online memory studies.