Quotation:
“Dawkins believed that information – whether in the form of a gene or a song – is interested in one thing, which is to be spread far and wide. Darwin argued that these ‘viruses of the mind’ – which can be anything from the Happy Birthday song to religious beliefs – have a certain agency of their own, and propagate themselves to ensure their survival,” (413).
Comment:
Information is power in many cases. Knowing something can give one power as well as take it away. However, in the case of memes, it is not as serious. I agree with Dawkins’ statement not only because of my personal experiences, but from talking to other people my age, as well as younger or older than me. I have experienced many situations where I will make a joke related to a meme or to a tv show and someone else will know exactly what I am talking about because they have seen the same thing scrolling through Instagram or Tik Tok. Memes can create a connection with someone you just met or they could be an inside joke, etc. I like the comparison of a meme, or information in general, to a gene. Genes want to multiply and spread anywhere they can. An example would be a virus, which is another comparison made by the author, because they need a host to continue their life cycle. Without the continuation of spreading information, there would be little connection between people. Knowledge is powerful. Some people may not consider memes knowledge, but they are a way for people to engage with each other. I specifically enjoy sending memes to people who I think would relate to it. It is also a way to show someone you are thinking about them, that you remembered something about them. The words ‘propagate themselves’ suggests that memes – information – are able to control how information is spread; how fast, how popular, how influential. I associate memes with comedy most of the time. I used to try to find funny ones to pass time until I realized how much time I was spending. It was a distraction.
Question:
Why, as humans, are we addicted to seeing more memes (funny things; movies, shows, videos)?
