Both of the readings for this week’s blog deal with the idea of language, emoticons and MEMEs on the internet. According to Davison, the word “meme” can be attributed to the 1979 works of Stephen Dawkins, who defined a meme as a learned behavior. The meme, as opposed to a gene, is something that outside forces can shape and inspire. I found this to be incredibly interesting, because I have always wondered why we refer to these random, sarcastic pictures as memes. It is even more interesting to learn that they are actually linked to the idea that the culture around you can influence who you are, just as much as your genes can.
A meme is defined, by Davison, as “a piece of culture, typically a joke, which gains influence through online transmission.” This definition is important, in my opinion, for two reasons. The first is that it specifies that a meme is typically a joke, and the second point is that a meme’s popularity depends solely on the frequency of its online transmission. Basically, the funnier the meme, the faster it will spread. I am sure there are hundreds of memes out there, but I am only familiar with a few – the extremely happy male baby, the advice dog, and of course, the Philsoraptor. The reason I am familiar with those particular memes is because my social group find these to be the most humorous. We see them, laugh at them and then forward them to each other. The funnier the meme is, the more likely it is to be frequently viewed. Just as long legs help the longevity of a zebra’s life, the humor of a meme helps it stay alive on the internet.
Well here’s what happens when two memes collide:
http://www.grumpycats.com/grumpy-cat-does-the-harlem-shake/
Dr. Markman, I feel no shame in admitting that I both laughed hysterically at this and then tweeted the link. I just proved Davison 100% correct.
Memes do tend to be centered on jokes. The only meme I have seen that you mentioned was the male baby. The memes that seem to be most popular in my group are Angry Cat, Sweet Brown and the Ehrmagerd Girl.
I like how you identified that the memes you are familiar with are representations through specific groups. This shows that memes can be targeted and reshared by people who share the same interests and humorous views.
I was also fascinated with why we call them memes, and I love how the name actually has meaning! I really think that sites like Pinterest and Reddit have really helped memes stay alive and be seen by more people. Every time I go on Pinterest, I see so many memes, and then I see that my other friends repinned them, so they are everywhere on my news feed.
You bring up a great point that certain memes are more popular in certain social groups. For instance, when Bad Luck Brian first began popping up on Twitter, my co-workers and I began making and exchanging ideas about his misfortunes almost exclusively. The same took place with the “EHRMAHGERD” meme (which remains one of my personal favorites).
On twitter and facebook, I see memes constantly. It’s true that the funnier they are the faster they are transmitted. It’s funny to see the same memes posted by different people who don’t even know each other. It’s proof of how fast they actually spread.