Working definition. Resonance is a responsive relation: something encountered sets another thing into motion without making it identical.
Inherited meaning
Acoustics gives the metaphor its precision—one body vibrates in response to another at compatible frequencies. Art and social thought extend it to experiences that answer us, deepen us, or make an unnamed condition audible.
Meaning in the imagination economy
AI systems can optimise attention and imitate familiar emotional signals. Resonance is more demanding than engagement. It does not mean the content was hard to ignore; it means the encounter enlarged recognition, relation, or agency after the stimulus ended.
What changes in practice
Ask what remains with people a day later, what language they gained, and what action became possible. Distinguish resonance from virality, agreement, and immediate pleasure.