Memes

DadaKopf

Right, what exactly is a meme? I have an idea what role they play in stuff, just not what they actually are.

One person said they're retroviruses. What's a retrovirus?

GoneShootin

meme: (pron. 'meem')

A contagious idea that replicates like a virus, passed on from mind to mind. Memes function the same way genes and viruses do, propagating through communication networks and face-to-face contact between people. The root of the word "memetics," a field of study which postulates that the meme is the basic unit of cultural evolution. Examples of memes include melodies, icons, fashion statements and phrases.

retrovirus

n : any of a group of viruses that contain two single-strand linear RNA molecules per virion and reverse transcriptase (RNA to DNA)

seems to have to do biology, but I spose a technical slant can be put to it for those in the tech / computer virus business

DadaKopf

Well, they're a biological explanation for the generation of culture, for learning (such as language) and stuff like that. As far as I'm aware, most supporters of memetics consider genes to determine most things about a person and memes then interact with our biological systems to generate higher functions like language, aesthetic taste etc.

What I want to know, really, is what they are, not what they do. Anyone?

daveirl

This post has been deleted.