I think I can answer that, although I’ve never actually seen it explained, so it’ll be interesting to see if anyone else has a different take.
The Lemmy posts with “rule” in the title are all made to the 196 community. Per the sidebar, rule #1 of 196 is “you must post something before you leave.”
Putting “rule” in the title is basically shorthand for “I don’t have anything specific to say, but I have to post, so here’s some random shit I find funny.”
At least, that’s how it started. At this point, it’s evolved into a bit of a meme in its own right.
What does “rule” mean in this context?
So, in reddit (where 196 originated from) there was no rule, except every post had to have a title, so some people started titling them “rule”
Are you asking in the general sense of the sub, or just this post?
In 2025 slang
I think I can answer that, although I’ve never actually seen it explained, so it’ll be interesting to see if anyone else has a different take.
The Lemmy posts with “rule” in the title are all made to the 196 community. Per the sidebar, rule #1 of 196 is “you must post something before you leave.”
Putting “rule” in the title is basically shorthand for “I don’t have anything specific to say, but I have to post, so here’s some random shit I find funny.”
At least, that’s how it started. At this point, it’s evolved into a bit of a meme in its own right.