A meme is an idea or behaviour that spreads from one person to another within a culture. It acts as a way to spread and preserve ideas or practices. They can be transmitted from one person to another through the written or spoken word, mimicry of physical actions like dance movements, and activities such as traditions or rituals.
The word meme was originally coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene about biological evolution. Memes are the cultural equivalent of the genes of biology. They self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures. They evolve by a form of natural selection similar to biological evolution. However, unlike biological evolution, memes that are detrimental to their host may still spread effectively.
The well known internet phenomena of posts or videos etc going “viral” is a perfect example of how memes can operate in the human psyche, and how regardless of merit they can become almost too successful and crowd out other alternatives.
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