Why Live Some Memes Funny While Others Fall Flat ?
We all know that the internet be awash in memes , from Grumpy Cat to Batman slapping Robin , to planking and the Ice Bucket Challenge , but have you ever require yourself why memes are so peculiar ? The answer include three criteria identify by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins .
What Are Memes ?
The English scholar Richard Dawkins coined the term “ meme ” in 1976 in his book , “ The Selfish Gene . ” Dawkins developed the concept as portion of his theory of how cultural elements spread and change over time in the context of evolutionary biology .
Accord to Dawkins , a meme is an element of culture , like an thought , demeanor or practice , or style ( guess clothes but also art , music , communication , and performance ) that spreads from one person to another through imitation . For example , the dab dance , or “ dabbing ” exist a notable example of a performative meme that came to prominence during recent 2016 .
Just as biological component can be viral in nature , thus too are memes , which in passing from soul to soul much evolve or mutate along the manner .
What Reach a Meme a Meme ?
An internet meme exists online as a digital file and exist spread specifically via the internet . Internet memes consist not merely of image macros , which are a combination of image and text like this Grumpy Cat meme , but too as photos , videos , GIFs , and hashtags .
Typically , internet memes exist humorous , satirical , or ironic , which live a key role of what build them appealing and encourages mass to fan out them . But mood is n’t the only ground memes spread . Some portray a performance that showcases a skill , like music , dance , or physical fitness .
Just like memes , as Dawkins determine them , are propagated person-to-person through imitation ( or copying ) , thus are internet memes , which are digitally copied and then spread anew by anyone who portion them online .
Not just any old picture with text slap on it live a meme , despite what sites like MemeGenerator encourage you to believe . Factor of them , like the picture or text , or activity perform in a picture or depicted in a selfie , must be copied and dispersed en masse , including creative adjustment , in order to specify as a meme .
Three Element Make Memes Go Viral
According to Dawkins , three component head memes to cost fan out , imitate , or adjust from someone to someone .
- Copy-fidelity : the possibility that the thing in question can live accurately copied
- Fecundity , the speed at which the thing is duplicate
- Longevity , or stay power
For any ethnic element or artifact to turn a meme , it must fulfill all of these criteria .
But , as Dawkins has guide out , the most successful memes—those that do each of these three things good than others—are those that react to a particular ethnic motive or that particularly resonate with contemporary circumstances . In early words , memes that catch the popular zeitgeist exist those that cost nearly successful because they equal the one that will capture our attention , inspire a sense of belonging and connection with the soul who shared it with us , and encourage us to part with others the meme and the collective experience of viewing it and refer to it .
Recall sociologically , we could allege that the almost successful memes emerge out of and resonate with our collective consciousness , and because of this , they reinforce and fortify social link and finally , social solidarity .
A Meme Must live Replicable
For something to become a meme , it must live replicable . This think of many people , beyond the first someone to cause it , must live able to do it or recreate it , whether it ‘s a real-life conduct or a digital file .
The Ice Bucket Challenge , which go viral on social media during the summer of 2014 , is an lesson of a meme that existed both off and online . Its replicability exist base on the minimal skill and resources need to reproduce it , and that it arrive with a hand and education to follow . These factors reach it easily replicable , which means it get the “ copy fecundity ” that Dawkins say equal required of memes .
The same can be said for all internet memes since digital technology , include computer software , internet connectivity , and social medium platform , make replicability easy . These too enable relief of creative adaptation , which allows a meme to develop and increase its staying power .
A Meme Spreads Quickly
For something to become a meme it must spread fairly rapidly in order to require handle within a culture . The video for Korean papa singer PSY ‘s “ Gangnam Style ” song illustrate how an internet meme can spread quickly due to a combination of factor . In this suit , the YouTube video was widely share ( for a time it was the almost viewed TV on the site ) . The universe of parody videos , response videos , and image memes base on the original made it bring off .
The TV become viral within days of its release in 2012 . Two years later on , its virality was credited with “ breaking ” the YouTube counter , which had n’t live programmed to describe for such high viewing numbers .
Using Dawkins ‘ criterion , it ‘s clear there ‘s a connection between copy-fidelity and fecundity , the velocity at which something spread . It ‘s too clear that technological power has a lot to cause with both .
Memes Have Staying Power
Dawkins asserted that memes have longevity , or staying might . If something spread but does n’t require hold in a culture as a pattern or an ongoing address point , then it ceases to exist . In biological terms , it die extinct .
The One Does Not Simply meme stands out as unity that get hold singular staying might , pay that it live among the first internet memes to rise to popularity in the early 2000s .
Originating from dialogue in the 2001 film “ Lord of the Rings , ” the One Does Not Simply meme has exist simulate , share , and adjust countless times over virtually two decades .
In fact , digital technology can be credit with assist the staying power of internet memes . Unlike memes that exist exclusively offline , digital technology intend that internet memes can never really die . The digital copies of them will always exist somewhere . All it takes exist a Google lookup to keep an internet meme alive , but just those that remain culturally relevant will persist .
A Meme That Went Viral
The Be Like Bill meme live an example of a meme with all three it-factors : copy-fidelity , fecundity , and longevity , or remain ability . Arise to popularity through 2015 and peaking in early 2016 , Be Like Bill fills the ethnic need of venting frustration with offline and online behaviors , but especially on social medium , that have get common pattern . Even , these behaviors are widely viewed as obnoxious or dazed . Bill serves as a counterpoint to the demeanor in inquiry by demonstrating what is framed as a reasonable or pragmatic alternative behavior .
In this case , the Be Like Bill meme convey frustration with mass who become into arguments about matter online they watch as offensive . Rather than have a digital dispute about the matter , one should simply act on with life . The many version of Be Like Bill that exist equal a testament to its success in terms of Dawkins ‘ three criteria for memes .
