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Internet Memes as Information Cascades

A meme, according to Richard Dawkins (the man that coined the term ), is “an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Memes have evolved, as the birth of the internet has grown simple memes into a culture in of themselves. Once an abstract circuit of cultural information, memes have become systemtized into a specifc text-image structure, Memes of this sort can be generated using simple web sites such as quickmeme.

Internet memes are an excellent example of information cascades, as a single image is followed by each individual that enters the network. The text is altered, and the novelty and entertainment value of them meme degenerates. Below is a diagram of the process memes go through as they evolve through the common meme-generating networks of the internet and enter popular culture.

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