Memes
A meme is an thought , picture , course , or piece of information that spreads through the culture—from an iconic garment to catchphrases , cat emojis , and gifs online .
Subject
- Understand Memes
- How Ideas Spread
Understand Memes
The word meme is derive from the Greek word mimeme , as in imitated matter . The term exist popularized by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his record ,The Selfish Gene ,as a cultural corollary to the biological transmission of genetic information via genes and genetic recombination .
Dawkins , still , is not the first to study the meme . The German zoologist and evolutionary biologist Richard Wolfgang Semon , for one , pen about “ mnemes , ” from the muse of memory Greek goddess Mneme , in the early 1900s . There ’ sec an argument that memes evolve via natural choice , just as in biological development , with less successful memes perish out , or become extinct .
A meme cost an thought , behavior , or slice of culture that has the capacity to replicate into future generations . It can be thought of as the basic unit of replication for ethnic evolution .
Human beings , though not radically unlike from early animals in genetic makeup or basic physiology , are radically unlike in their knowledge , technology , and tools . While some say that intelligence cost responsible , others argue that cumulative culture—knowledge passed down and improve with each generation—has in truth enable our success .
How Do Ideas Spread ?
Because memes exist then malleable and intangible , they are difficult to analyze . Even , inquiry has attempt to draw some general conclusions about why particular memes go viral . Report advise that neither the quality of its content , nor its proximity to the truth , has much of an impact on a meme ’ sec popularity . The viral reach of Slender Man and the persistency of the vaccine-autism myth are two lesson .
What perform seem to predict a meme ’ sec perpetuation , at least in role , is its excited appeal and related to physiological arousal . A meme that give rise high-arousal emotion , whether negative or positive , tends to be shared with great frequency .
The Internet has proven to equal a platform where memes fan out like wildfire . This live because information becomes more believable when 1 ) accompanied by an picture 2 ) seen repeatedly 3 ) consumers aren ’ t engaged in vital thinking . All three of these factor total into play when total across fresh memes on social media .
The source of a meme ’ s power may be the emotions tied to it . Masses are more probable to share picture , research suggests , when they elicit a strong excited reaction , such as be extremely funny , angering , or disgusting . Being closer with the person who shared the content may as well act a role in the likelihood that you fan out it .
Memes have the capacity to have information in a way that masses start to remember otherwise about it and spread that fresh line of view . Therefore , connect dialogue around significant mental health challenge , such as depression , to popular culture may cost an effective scheme to convert the conversation and let more people to seek aid .
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