Memes (Clever title, eh?)
As I read the wikipedia entry on memes, it -- at first -- seemed to me that memes and ideas were synonymous. I kept thinking of a meme as an intangible mental gene, passed down (or around) via the brain. That sounded a lot like an idea to me, only viewed from a more sophisticated and scientific perspective. Apparently, this has been one of the criticisms of memes, memetics and meme theories: "no reason exists for differentiating or discerning the word 'meme' from the word 'idea' or from the phrase 'pattern of thought'." In response, the meme people say, "The creation of the term 'meme' as opposed to 'idea' or 'pattern of thought' allows for specific description and application of the meme as a phenomenon. Additionally, using a new term such as 'meme' allows one to avoid semantic baggage associated with well-known terms such as 'idea'; and conveys a (mistaken) connotation of novelty."
I still wasn't sure that I bought it, even though I agree that words are loaded with "semantic baggage" and using a new word allows for a more intense, less inhibited exploration of the meaning behind the word. Though I'm still not sure that a) memes are much different from ideas or b) I have any idea what I'm talking about, this list got me thinking. Those things aren't exactly what I would call "ideas." For instance, one of the items on the list is "internet slang." Internet slang seems to have started somewhere (not really as an idea or invention, but rather, as a shortened method of communication for internet-savvy folks) and spread rapidly and widely, developing word by word, phrase by phrase. To me, this is the epitome of a meme. And considering this, I now see that there is a distinction between memes and ideas (even if I can't clearly identify it).
In other news, memetic engineering is kind of creepy, no?
I still wasn't sure that I bought it, even though I agree that words are loaded with "semantic baggage" and using a new word allows for a more intense, less inhibited exploration of the meaning behind the word. Though I'm still not sure that a) memes are much different from ideas or b) I have any idea what I'm talking about, this list got me thinking. Those things aren't exactly what I would call "ideas." For instance, one of the items on the list is "internet slang." Internet slang seems to have started somewhere (not really as an idea or invention, but rather, as a shortened method of communication for internet-savvy folks) and spread rapidly and widely, developing word by word, phrase by phrase. To me, this is the epitome of a meme. And considering this, I now see that there is a distinction between memes and ideas (even if I can't clearly identify it).
In other news, memetic engineering is kind of creepy, no?
