How do you define a meme?

Meme’s really did have an origin. Just like everything else, they seem to have blown things out of proportion. Memes are non-fiction, fiction. A depiction of reality, subtly explained in a way that sometimes warps our perception of reality. And…. Perception is reality!

Where did the term “meme” originate?

“The meme appeared in Richard Dawkins’ first book, “The Selfish Gene” (1976), and was an attempt to understand why some behaviours, from an evolutionary perspective, seemed to make no sense but, somehow or other, were found to be very common in human societies.” (Jordan, 2014)

How would we define it today? When we have computers and other means of mass communications. Sure the first meme may have appeared in a newspaper, but now we have Social Media and everyone has a chance to share their experience. Instead of just the perspective of people in News Papers.

The dictionary would define a meme as:

Meme as defined by Merriam-Webster;(meme)
1: an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture
2: an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media

The picture on top shows the perspective of the meme from an early newspaper and shows the creative imagination of that time. Even back then they wanted to paint reality with a certain amount of imagination.

The history of the human thought process. Humans are creatures of habit, and Social Media is a reversed mirror; you type the information onto the screen for others to see… Society will probably always view themselves through a “self-reflected” mirror. How they see themselves is not always how others see them, just like how some views memes differently and to mean different things. A “meme” in a sense, is a fictitious example of something real. Portrayed in a humorous way.

Richard Dawkins understanding of the word “meme” on the concepts it contributes to the idea. The dictionary definition seems too describe more of how people see memes today since computers didn’t really exist back then, even though technically they mean the same thing. The dictionary version expands more on the use of “Social Media” in the expanse of the “meme phenomenon.” So, where video and pictures are not easily accessible, the overall definition of the word “meme,” which is more of an “idea” is more reasonable. Not everyone has access to the internet, and oftentimes in other countries even though they have the internet, there is usually a restriction put on what information they are able to access. So to spread an idea that reaches a larger audience is easier done on the Social Media platforms through memes because then that idea isn’t attached to something that could be censored like an image or video. Sure they do censor them, however, many people use VPN’s and Social Media is addicting like some drugs so they find a way.

Meme’s seem to become a less offensive way to offend people which is why many Social Media companies set up content filters so that people are not subject to things they don’t want to see. I like sticking to the cat meme’s. A meme is a great way to say something, without actually saying the thing you are trying to say. The biggest thing that it does is it gives someone a chance to make others laugh or relay a message in a completely different way. Like one of your favorite quotes put in front of a picture that draws attention and sends two different messages. The power of influence allows for memes to make an impact on what people believe. Sometimes, others just find humor in funny cat memes.

The official term “meme,” could be an idea. So, I think memes could be both a credible source of information, and something satire, depending on how the individual views the information.

What’s in a Meme?

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