Memes

MemesFrom Wikipedia:

The term ** Internet meme ** is used to describe a concept that spreads via the internet. The term is a reference to the concept of [|memes], although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information. The earliest known usage of meme is in the book // The Selfish Gene // by Richard Dawkins published in 1976.

An Internet meme is an idea that is propagated through the World Wide Web. The idea may take the form of a [|hyperlink], video, picture, website, [|hashtag], or just a word or phrase, such as intentionally misspelling the word "more" as "moar". The meme may spread from person to person via [|social networks], [|blogs], direct [|email], news sources, or other web-based services.

An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, [|parody], or by incorporating news accounts about itself. Internet memes can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity and vanishing within a few days.

Their rapid growth and impact has caught the attention of both researchers and industry. Academically, researchers model how they evolve and predict which memes will survive and spread throughout the Web. Commercially, they are used in [|viral marketing] where they are an inexpensive form of mass advertising.

All the memes that ever were can be found on The Internet Meme Database.

What is your favorite meme?