Memes
What are memes you might ask...Well, I had to ask myself as I honestly didn't know...
Upon investigation, I'm not really sure that I'm satisfied with the
definition that I've found, but I will share with you the info I've
managed to gather.
If you find something that clearly defines, or gives a better explination, please feel free to share it with me.
Meme: A meme is any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is
transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.
You can check out more information at the website www.memes.org
I really am not into a theological mood, and am honestly quite tired at
the moment so to wrap my little brain around those big words
tonight...just is a bit difficult. I did however like this
definition:
Considerable controversy surrounds the word meme and its associated
discipline, memetics. In part this arises because a number of possible (though
not mutually exclusive) interpretations of the nature of the concept have
arisen:
1. The least controversial claim suggests that memes provide a useful
philosophical perspective with which to examine cultural evolution. Proponents
of this view argue that considering cultural developments from a meme's eye view
— as if memes, or the people who carry them, acted to maximise their own
replication and survival — can lead to useful insights and yield valuable
predictions into how culture develops over time. Dawkins himself seems to have
favoured this approach.
and
Biologist and evolutionary theorist Richard Dawkins coined the term meme in
1976. He gave as examples tunes, catch-phrases, beliefs, clothing fashions, ways
of making pots, and the technology of building arches.
The one thing that grabbed my attention however was at the top of the page...
Memes are mind viruses
Kinda like that song that is stuck in your head that won't go away or
that catch phrase on the last commercial, or even the part of a poem
that rings over and over in your heart because it makes a lasting
impact.
Well....I think that I can, if you will allow me such liberty, tie this into our little graphic world....
Memes are a form of communication, and I believe that art in it's purest form is also communication.
Art communicates through song, painting, and various other mediums.
What does it convey? Well, that depends on the person
creating...but it is speaking to influence the viewer or
listener....it's the basis of that jingle or the designer in the
fashion industry....it's the source of where creativity comes
from....the heart. The heart desires to convey it's beliefs and
desires to impact those around them. Take great leaders like
Martin Luther King, whose heart had great ideas and thoughts for our
society, and he desired to spread and change those around him by
sharing those ideas, thoughts, and insights. He also desired it
to bring change....
Art can do just that! It speaks volumes to those who listen, and
it impacts with a desire to leave lasting results, and even spark a
creative idea or two...
And well, let's face it...many of us also claim to be affected by a
virus of addiction to pixels....so it has become a mind virus so to
speak...
So with that said, let's say that some of our pixel cuties are just
that....but maybe a few of them that I will include here may try to
spark a bit of thought, introspection, and possibly change in our lives
and communities. Maybe someone will take the idea and replicate
it...or as the definition expresses, improve on that which needs
improved, change what needs changed, and discard that which was
unnecessary in the change and evolution of that process.
Ok maybe too deep....maybe far in left field....
But it did remind me of a quote I just recently saw. It did make
an impact, and I didn't write it down...of course...so I'll have to go
find it again...but until then, the thought conveyed was:
~ The power to make a change is not about how many people you control.
It's about how many people are willing to listen and to walk
beside you ~
~Twilights Aura ~
Ahhh....now that is meme...
sharing a belief, idea or such, and carrying it to others in hopes of it's survival...
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