Memes

Memes are units of cultural information that spread from person to person. The term meme was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976) to describe how ideas, behaviors, and styles propagate through imitation and variation, akin to genes in biology. The word derives from the Greek mimēma, meaning 'something imitated.'

Before the internet, memes appeared as jokes, catchphrases, fashion trends, urban legends, and rituals that circulated within communities and subcultures.

In the digital era, memes most often take the form of image macros, short videos, animated GIFs, or text-based posts that are easily remixed and redistributed online. Popular formats and templates provide a starting point for variation, enabling rapid mutation and spread through social networks, forums, and messaging apps.

Memes function as vehicles for humor, social commentary, and identity formation. They can influence public discourse, politics, and consumer culture, while also raising concerns about copyright, misinformation, harassment, and the impact of platform algorithms on visibility and longevity.

Scholars study memes within memetics, a framework for analyzing how cultural information replicates and evolves. Although the scientific status of memetics is debated, the concept remains a useful lens for understanding rapid cultural change and online communication.