AIM Framework glossary
Ignition Input
Canonical definition
Ignition Input is the exogenous input mobs(t) in the fast valuation system specified in Appendix A, denoting the stream of observed Model goal signals directed at a focal Object that reach an Individual's perceptual apparatus. mobs(t) is not a state variable and not a structural parameter; it is an input whose magnitude depends on the institutional, technological, and cultural environment the Individual occupies. It is modifiable through Class 1 interventions.
Explanation
The Ignition Input is the actual flow of visible Model signals coming at an Individual in a given environment. A person scrolling saturated social media receives a very different m_obs from a person in an isolated community with few Model channels. Unlike the Ignition Gain, which is structural, the Ignition Input is changeable: it is what institutions, platforms, and cultures actually let through to perception, and it is what Class 1 interventions adjust.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct.
Derivation
Appendix A, Section A.5.1; Appendix A, Section A.4; Chapter 8, Section 8.14.