Legibility Collapse: When Systems Continue Operating but Stop Reporting Reality
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Legibility Collapse defines the structural moment when a platform’s visibility layer stops updating while the operational layer continues functioning, creating the illusion of inactivity despite ongoing engagement. Using the SR diagnostic framework, the essay maps how indexing stalls, semantic reclassification, dominant‑cluster overload, and infrastructural drift cause the representational interface to detach from system reality. It argues that Legibility Collapse is not a behavioral anomaly but a failure of interpretation—evidence that platforms break first at the level of visibility, not operation.
Author: Rupture, Signal
Language: English
Topic: Digital Media and Philosophy
Subfield: Computer Science Applications
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7136907336
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