The Science Behind Memes
Meme (noun): an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual or another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.
So what makes memes so catchy? The reason behind which memes get chosen to go viral and which remain unseen seems arbitrary. However, it could be explained by the English scholar Richard Dawkins, in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. According to Dawkins, there are three key factors to ensure that a meme is successfully spread:
- Copy-fidelity: the possibility of the meme in question to be accurately copied
- Fecundity: the speed at which the meme is replicated
- Longevity: its staying-power over a period of time
Let’s look at an example: the gangnam style dance. It was wildly successful due to its ability to satisfy all three of these requirements well. The simple dance satisfies copy-fidelity since it is easy to recreate. It satisfies fecundity since the online music video it was pulled from hit “breaking” on YouTube. Lastly, it has longevity since images and videos of this meme exists online, and was kept alive through sharing and tagging on the internet.
From a networks perspective, we know that another reason why memes successfully permeate through society is explained by the idea of information cascades. Let’s look at it through both categories of rational reasons: information-based and direct benefit. One reason why someone might help the spread of this meme might be information-based: even though he or she thinks the dance is funny, there might be some other meaning behind the dance that others find funny and applicable to certain situations; therefore, he or she shares the meme. Another reason might be through direct benefit: by posting a video online of yourself performing the dance, you might gain a lot of likes and shares yourself, maybe even to the point of reaching internet fame and becoming your own meme.
https://www.thoughtco.com/science-of-memes-4147457