We often think of #memes as popular photos, videos, or phrases online.
But the term “meme” was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins to describe a behavior, style or idea as a unit of culture that can spread or disappear. From social movements to religion to Grumpy Cat.
Even though most folks may not be aware of it, we’re sharing a popular concept from #science, every single day, across #socialmedia.
@Sheril I didn't think of Dawkins's "memes" so much as "science," it's just an idea he came up with, it's not a field of study with experiments or findings. Just an analogy, "what if genes burn in culture instead of biology?"
It was helpful for clever atheists to explain religion though, you see, it's a MEMETIC MIND VIRUS that the sheep are INFECTED WITH, that's just SCIENCE
@Sheril I get that Dawkins is out of his lane, since this is more properly Sociology or Cultural Anthropology, but using the meme/gene analogy implies a taxonomy of memes. An internet image meme is kind of like a biological virus that requires a host meme-infrastructure to propagate, so I kind of find the modern usage of meme a useful, of informal concept.
@Sheril When was Dawkins credited with this? Because I recall reading about memes in Douglas Hofstadter's book Metamagical Themas in the 1980s. I had thought Hofstadter had come up with it first.
@Sheril personally, this concept of memes makes complete sense to me. Also, if I remember right, this idea was touched upon in one episode of The Big Bang Theory.
@Sheril I think one might argue that Dawkins' concept of "meme" might be, itself, an example of a failed meme: a unit of culture that has declined to near-extinction.
"Meme" today means exactly what people think it means when they use it — that's more or less how language works. "Meme" in Dawkins' sense has almost no active currency, aside from occasional historical reminders (such as this post). Maybe it's still a useful concept, maybe not — but I wouldn't call it science.
@richardgrant I think thats wrong and the whole internet uses the term exactly like Dawkins intended. Memes (as in internet memes) don't work if they are about e.g. just one person or one experience - they have to be an actual Meme (as in Dawkins Meme) to work universally and go viral. @Sheril
@richardgrant
I agree that coining a word is not science, and that "meme" today is exactly what it sounds like; also I find it interesting to ponder the original word as an example of a failed version of its own concept. But I don't think it's actually failed. The original still exists usefully (I think of it all the time), if not popularly. And it did create the pop version, which does still express the original concept faithfully, functionally @Sheril
@Sheril the critical discussion around the concept and whether it is useful or valid is interesting as well. It is certainly possible to draw a meme picture like this
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