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Published: May 13, 2021, 11:26 a.m.

In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins used the term meme as an attempt to explain how ideas replicate, mutate, and evolve. I can’t imagine he anticipated how that term has come to define an idea, behavior, or style that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms and especially for humorous purposes. Yes, today’s story is about memes. Those images and catchphrases are often cringe-worthy,  sometimes hysterical, and on-point, but mostly just confusing because I don’t get the reference. What is considered a meme may vary across different groups on the Internet and is subject to change over time, but traditionally, memes consist of a combination of images with a catchphrase.  However, the concept has since broadened to include GIFs, videos, and other viral sensations. While many got their starts on old-school internet forums, the advent of social media made them more mainstream and popular than ever. We now refer to such things as “meme-culture” and it’s become leveraged by major marketing entities, social movements, and even serious political campaigns. Regardless if you consider the dancing baby as the first meme, or prefer the more “dank” memes, you will want to continue listening. Even if it’s just to understand what the heck “dank” means in this context. 

References: 

PBS From Kilroy to Pepe: A Brief History of Memes

New York Times article

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Affiliate link)

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