Internet Memes: Definition, Evolution, and Online Culture

Introduction: What Are Memes?

The behavior of an organism is determined by memes. Instances of memes include pottery and methods of constructing arches, attire and fashion, tunes and clichés. Memes replicate themselves in the meme pool by jumping from brain to brain through a process generally referred to as imitation, in the same way that genes propagate through genetic transmission from body to body via eggs or sperm. When a scientist encounters a good idea—either by hearing or reading it—he or she conveys it to colleagues and students through lectures and written notes. If the idea is acceptable and embraced, it undergoes propagation as it spreads from one brain to another.

Richard Dawkins and The Selfish Gene

Richard Dawkins wrote "The Selfish Gene," which challenges the notion that living organisms are genetically compelled to act only in ways desirable for the species. He reinforces his argument by asserting that the primary units of evolution are not genes, individuals, or families but rather specific strands of genetic DNA. As he concludes his treatise, Dawkins examines two directions in which evolutionary theory could develop. It is in this context that he invents the term meme. He acknowledges that many human actions emanate from culture rather than genes, and he contends that any behavior not a consequence of genetics should be called a meme. He further asks whether applying the logic of genetics to memes can produce meaningful insights.

The physical characteristics of an organism are genetically determined. For instance, a specific gene might cause a creature to have long or short legs. Consider two zebras: one carries a long-leg gene and the other a short-leg gene. When both are attacked by a lion, the long-legged zebra escapes while the short-legged one is caught and killed. At this point in the evolutionary process, there are more genes for long legs than for short legs in the ecosystem. The offspring of the long-legged zebra will flourish at a higher rate if more of them survive, and the family of long-legged zebras will continue to grow from one generation to the next. Since genes are not capable of reasoning, they cannot determine whether they are responsible for long-legged zebras, nor do they care. However, given that they confer qualities related to environmental survival, the more they produce and replicate, the more successful they become (Mandiberg, 2012).

Memes in Human Behavior and Learning

As mentioned above, the behavior of creatures is determined by memes. For instance, one is taught to attend school and study mathematics, or one learns through experience—for example, by inserting a finger into an electric outlet, which delivers a shock and alerts one to avoid that place. Consider two soccer players: genetic factors might predispose one to play better than the other, although personal understanding of how to play the game also exerts influence. Assume that two players are physically identical but one does not practice at all while the other practices regularly. During practice sessions, the one who attends every day is taught how to pass the ball by the coach. When they compete, this player passes the ball to other players, creating more chances for the team to score. The player who practices consistently succeeds in passing the ball to teammates so that the team can win, while the player who seldom practices cannot perform the same actions because he has not learned the tricks of passing. Consequently, his team will most likely not score any goals. In other words, the practiced player has adopted a passing meme while the other has not (Mandiberg, 2012).

As related to the internet, a meme is a practical joke referring to the culture of online transmission, which is gaining influence through frequent use. Although not all jokes on the internet are memes, when compared to jokes in everyday offline use, the speed of their transmission and the rate at which they gain fidelity makes them peculiar forms of internet memes. A verbal joke can only be transmitted as quickly as those who hear it or know about it are able to move from one place to another, and for it to endure, it must be memorized. A printed joke, by contrast, can be retained on a piece of paper that can be passed from one location to another. In this case, the speed at which the joke spreads does not depend on any individual's physical speed, and its preservation is not based on memory (Mandiberg, 2012). Internet memes represent a fundamentally new mode of cultural transmission, where speed and reproducibility are dramatically enhanced through digital networks.

Internet Memes and Digital Transmission

This meme is favored by many people because it refers to a popular brand of chocolate. All over the world, this chocolate brand is preferred by many chocolate enthusiasts without restriction to age or race. If Nutella is offered and someone reacts negatively, such a reaction would elicit shock from many people. This meme, beyond being shared by a large percentage of internet users, has also been transmitted in many varying forms by others. Another famous meme is a memorable quote from the 2001 fantasy film "The Lord of the Rings," which states: "One does not simply walk into Mordor." In relation to the Ring symbolism, different variations of this expression are normally employed in images featuring Mordor, a fictionalized location derived from the Lord of the Rings franchise, or the main protagonist Boromir, who first utters the phrase in the film. This meme demonstrates how a single iconic phrase can spawn countless variations, each adapting the original template to new contexts while maintaining the recognizable structure.