COGNIMUS is the collective entity formed out of the minds of those participating in a specific scratch trend. After gaining sentience, it realized it could only exist in the minds of others, and so influenced them to perpetuate the trend, thus spreading it to the minds of those who saw it and decided to follow the trend. Some would engage to the point of addiction, and even die as they were spending all time on the "trend", thus feeding COGNIMUS even further. If COGNIMUS deems a follower of the trend "unworthy", they will instantly kill them via electric discharge. What, if anything, that happens after this is currently unknown.
