“The Harry Potter Fallacy “ could also be a descriptor meaning “People will remember or care about your idea if you invoke this particular piece of old pop culture.”
I hope they learn about the “I Beg You To Please Read Another Book Corrollary”
"Please read another book" is more overused than Harry Potter references these days. Super popular media is referenced because people will probably get the reference.
If I start busting out War and Peace plot points I'm going to look like an uppity dickhead and nobody will get what I'm on about.
"Read another book" is just another way to shut down a conversation, usually when someone's ran out of real arguments but still wants to feel superior. You either get the reference and we're good to continue talking or you don't, you tell me, I'll state it in a different way.
I read 2-6 books a month, I'd reference some of them but the people following the thread probably have not read the book and then how do I get upvotes out of that?
No one is saying we should instead all be walking around referencing literary texts in every day conversations (speaking of straw mans, trying to use an extreme counterexample to dismiss criticism...). It's possible to communicate without relating everything back to pop culture.
There are more books than the HP series and War and Peace. I do not have advice about how to optimize your reading for upvotes on HN though aside from maybe books about topics that are regularly discussed here?
I hope they learn about the “I Beg You To Please Read Another Book Corrollary”