Reading Response 3 - Taryn Hampton

When trying to explain what a meme was to my parents I used to say it was like an inside joke, usually in picture format, and almost always found primarily on the internet. Richard Dawkins' definition is much broader, and encompasses just about any idea that's ever been conceived or spread. The two relate in that internet memes definitely adhere to Dawkins' definition, but follow a life that is much much quicker to spread and eventually die. A picture will surface, gain popularity, and if it gains popularity at a high enough rate then the internet communities will take it and run with it; creating new versions in different contexts, combining it with other existing internet memes, etc. Those who are familiar internet memes know that each feeds off each other, creating new variations and combinations.

Ideas function very similarly to this; each has it's inception, and how well it's received will ultimately determine how much attention it is given. Memes in this sense can live both on and offline, and generally have a longer life span that of strictly internet memes. This is probably because it takes time for ideas to spread in an environment that is not digital in some way or another, and therefor is not automated at high speeds.

Comparisons that Dawkins makes between evolution and memes lie in the spreading behavior of information of ideas. He uses an example that when a person with white skin procreates with a person with black skin, the resulting skin tone will not be either white or black, but rather it will probably come out looking like a blend of some sort. Similarly, when conflicting memes come together, one or the other will not emerge on top, but instead a mix of the two ideas will emerge to create a joint-meme. As far as applying biological terms to culture goes, the only problem I see I see is that culture is highly subjective, which sciences are exactly the opposite; objective. Looking at the way evolution has been predicted for such a long time and then looking at the different spread patterns of ideas, it would be incredibly difficult to try to predict how an audience is going to react to a new meme.