What is a Meme?
What is a Meme?
There may be some confusion as to the meaning of the word meme (rhymes with dream). John Gunders and Damon Brown, authors of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Memes, define it as, “A cultural unit of measure. It can be a thought, a phrase, a style, or any other cultural expression that can be imitated by individuals. More important, a meme is a replicator; that is, a particle of culture that strives to get itself copied as many times as possible.”
Basically it is an idea that is replicated through imitation. There is a lot of that going around on the Internet. If an idea catches on there, it may be referred to as “going viral”. There is much more than just Internet messages that are memes. Gunders and Brown explain that things like philosophy, sex, religion and politics also exhibit meme qualities.
It is a unit of culture such as a tune, idea, habit, that makes its way from person to person. It must be short enough to catch on and easily understood. There are a lot of versions of the following meme that are based on different job occupations. The template of what others think that the job entails is the same. People have had some fun putting in their own ideas of the different perspectives of a job. Here is one for a sales professional:
Examples of Memes:
- Technological: Rick Rolling – Promising one web site but redirecting to Rick Astley’s music video.
- Musical: The opening five bars of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
- Marketing: Slogans like “Where’s the Beef?” The trick is to have something be catchy, memorable and desirable.
The Players and How it Works:
- The Creator: Â Creates the Meme
- The Hook:Â The Enticement to Remember the Idea; Example:Â Belief That Others Will Enjoy Idea or That Others Need to Experience the Idea
- The Bait:Â The Desired Result; Example: Positive Benefit of Meme is Realized
- The Vector: The Medium that Transports the Idea. Example: E-mail, Facebook, Youtube
- The Host:Â The Carrier of the Idea Who Initiates Delivery
Popular Internet Memes:
Popular Concept Memes:
Popular Video Memes:
Popular Picture Memes:
The following list are some websites that explain more about memes: