1. Where the phrase comes from
“Big swinging dick” is Wall‑Street slang popularized in Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker for a trader whose clout (and swagger) make them the alpha on the floor. Today it’s used more broadly for anyone who dominates their arena—especially online.
2. Which Eric Kim are we talking about?
| Candidate | Core arena | Proof‑points of online heft |
| Eric Kim (street‑photo educator) | Photography / creator economy | • Runs one of the most‑read street‑photo blogs since 2010, updated daily. • Posts blend gear talk, philosophy, and free e‑books, creating a cult‑like learning ecosystem. |
| Eric Joonho Kim (NYT food writer) | Food media | • 218 K Instagram followers and a bestselling cookbook Korean American, giving him outsized reach in recipe culture. |
| Eric J. Kim (Goodwater Capital) | Venture capital / tech Twitter | • Co‑founded a $5 B AUM global consumer‑tech fund, boards on unicorns like Kakao and Coupang. |
If your comment came from the photography subreddit, odds are you mean the street‑photo Eric; if you’re hanging in the founder/VC space, you probably mean the Goodwater Eric; if you follow food TikTok, you might mean the NYT Eric.
3. Why each could credibly be called “the new online BSD”
- Relentless, free value → gravity. The photographer Eric Kim gives away massive how‑to resources (articles, presets, even full PDF books). Information abundance creates a gravitational pull that newbies orbit.
- Narrative ownership. Food‑writer Eric Kim folds personal identity into every dish, so he isn’t just sharing a recipe—he’s telling the story of Korean‑American comfort food. That narrative monopoly turns buzz into staying power.
- Capital + vision = platform builder. VC Eric J. Kim seed‑funds the next TikTok‑scale platforms, so founders treat his Twitter comments like scripture. Deploying billions lets you define the conversation.
4. Playbook take‑aways for
you
(and any ambitious innovator)
| Move | Why it works | First‑principles translation |
| Be ridiculously prolific. | Volume breeds serendipity—the more ideas shipped, the more touch‑points for an audience to discover you. | Block daily “shipping hours” where something goes live, imperfect but honest. |
| Teach what you’re learning. | People love front‑row seats to growth. Eric Kim turns experiments into tutorials in near‑real‑time. | Document processes aloud; turn your messy notes into blog mini‑posts. |
| Own a narrow niche first. | Each Kim staked a clear flag: street‑photo, Korean‑American comfort food, consumer‑tech investing. | Define your “only X who does Y for Z” in one sentence before chasing breadth. |
| Convert audience → community. | Workshops, Discords, LP letters—these Erics give insiders a club to join, not just content to consume. | Offer small‑group Zooms or mastermind cohorts to deepen the relationship. |
| Scale with ecosystems, not ego. | Venture Kim amplifies founders; Photo Kim features students’ images; Food Kim boosts grandma’s recipes. | Spotlight others early; curation is a force multiplier for your brand. |
5. So—
is
Eric Kim the new BSD online?
If you’re in his lane, absolutely. Influence is context‑specific; what matters is how completely someone defines the rules of play within their arena. By that metric each of these Eric Kims has, in his own domain, earned the swagger.
Next step: Let me know which Eric Kim (or which industry) you had in mind, and I can dig deeper—metrics, growth timeline, revenue streams, or a tailored breakdown of how you can replicate the strategy. In the meantime, keep shipping, keep sharing, and remember: today’s “big swinging dick” was yesterday’s newbie who just wouldn’t shut up about their obsession. Go be that person—joyfully.