QotD: Memetic Selection Edition

The things we now refer to as "memes" are actually things that were originally dubbed "image macros". Some image macros went viral and effectively became memes, however.

A meme is an idea, a behavior, a belief, a bit of information, that replicates itself from mind to mind the way DNA does from generation to generation. The term was coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

Just because a meme propagates widely doesn't make it true.

The internet didn’t invent thought contagion. It merely accelerated it. What used to take decades of cultural transmission can now happen in hours. A tweet, a TikTok, a video clip, a slogan. These are the new vectors of cultural evolution.

Algorithms act as artificial selectors. Twitter doesn’t reward nuanced discussion. It rewards engagement. Instagram etc doesn’t surface the most accurate take. It surfaces the one most likely to generate a reaction. This creates a selection pressure on ideas: evolve to provoke, or die.

Memes that succeed online are those that survive this ruthless environment. They’re short, emotionally resonant, and easily shareable. They often include moral judgment or identity cues. They come with built-in calls to action: Retweet. Cancel. Like. Condemn.

Guarding against memetic infection can be tricky and nobody's 100% successful, similar to the way everyone says "Oh, I'd never fall victim to that particular internet scam" and then goes and falls for a different one. Stay vigilant and double check your work frequently.

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