Memes

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Memes—a term coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976—are the digital “genes” of society.

I, Jason, have read some of Richard Dawkins’ works. Hevel strongly opposes most of Dawkins’ evolutionary ideas, but he was right about memes.

Basically, memes are digital artifacts that act like symbols carrying a cultural meaning. For example: a brand, your favourite meme page, a popular TV show scene, or marketing campaign slogans.

Memes are the way humans map and document their culture; they are taking over traditional documentation and art. Memes are communicative anchors for those who create them. Think of Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s Twitter pages.

Memetic context refers to the specific background knowledge, cultural trends, inside jokes, and history required to understand a meme.