# lost the plot (drift)

*Ordinarily means:* People lost track of what was happening.

A self-model that has changed without noticing, so the thing it models is no longer inside its window.

- Computed level: L15 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: language  ·  Arena: cognition

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [self-model](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-self-model.reflexive), [drift](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drift.aimless), [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [lost](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-lost.state)

**Through:** self-model.reflexive and drift.aimless together mean the model changed without correction, letting the modeled thing move toward a wall. window.range defines where it can persist. lost.state marks that it has already crossed.

**Novel properties:**
- unnoticed drift in self-awareness
- model failure without external sign

## Examples
- The 2008 financial crisis emerged as credit rating agencies kept assigning AAA grades to mortgage-backed securities long after underlying risks had changed. *(economics)*
- The Mars Climate Orbiter burned up in the atmosphere because NASA teams used metric units while Lockheed Martin used imperial for thruster calculations. *(engineering)*
- The Twitter algorithm promoted outrage after engagement-driven training lost sight of user well-being as a goal, amplifying harmful content by default. *(computing)*

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-lost-the-plot.drift*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-lost-the-plot.drift.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*