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Research draft

meme

vr.tr.meme · INF.KNW

Let an agent explain memes as a cultural concept and as internet phenomena, describe how memes spread and change, present debates about memetics with attribution, and support media literacy and culture questions.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain memes as a cultural concept and as internet phenomena, describe how memes spread and change, present debates about memetics with attribution, and support media literacy and culture questions.

A unit of cultural information such as an idea, behaviour, style or image that spreads from person to person by imitation, a concept coined by Richard Dawkins as a cultural analogue of the gene, and in its most familiar modern form the internet meme, an image, video, phrase or format that is copied, remixed and spread online, including image macros, video remixes, internet challenges and aesthetic trends; memes are studied in cultural theory, media studies and marketing and debated as a scientific concept.

What it is for: Units of imitated culture, especially online.

It can be explain the concept; describe spread and change; present debates; support media literacy.

Distinguishing features

Imitation and replication

Variation and remix

Rapid online spread

Contested theory

What it looks like

Images, videos and phrases shared online.

How it is recognised

Cultural unit spread by imitation

Internet memes, image macros, remixes, challenges

A viral post is one instance; a trend is broader; a gene is the biological analogue

Related models

is a kind of - category

information

is related to - imitation as a mechanism of spread

social influence

is related to - the wider context of memes

popular culture

is related to - platforms where memes spread

social networking service

In practice

Families and kinds

memes in cultural theory

image macros and reaction images

video remixes and formats

internet challenges

aesthetic and subcultural trends

Standards and regulation

Copyright and fair use for remixed content

Platform content rules

No regulation of the concept

Failure modes and hazards

Spreading misinformation through memes

Harmful internet challenges

Presenting memetics as established science

Also called

GilgameshSoft GirlYouTube PoopRYTPInternet challengeinternet memetropeHollywood ChrisesAmogusexploitable memesurreal memeanimation memeIceberg chartcat memeConsumer Product Safety Commission memesDead memesironic memeParty of crooks and thievesflash mobrage comicsealioningimage macrocapsreaction imageWhite Christmasartistic licensePudding with a ForkNo Pants Subway RidePillow fight flash mobcash mobexploitable image macroimage macro seriespoetic licence

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Also registered as vr.tr.meme

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What a meme is.

Culture.

Concept

Concept and origin.

Concept

Concept.

  1. What is a meme in cultural theory, and how does the internet meme relate to the original concept? definition
  2. Is the theoretical or the internet sense meant? boundary

Kinds

Kinds of internet memes.

Kinds

Kinds.

  1. What kinds of internet memes exist, from image macros and video remixes to challenges and trends? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific meme format? action
Spread Spread and change.

Science.

Dynamics

How memes spread.

Dynamics

Dynamics.

  1. How do memes spread, mutate and die out online, according to research on platforms and networks? provenance
  2. Which entry fits virality? action

Memetics

Memetics debate.

Memetics

Memetics.

  1. What is memetics, and why is it debated as a scientific framework, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Which findings are contested? boundary
Society Memes in society.

Attribution.

Politics

Politics and misinformation.

Politics

Politics.

  1. How are memes used in political communication and misinformation, and how can they be assessed critically? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Safety

Challenges and safety.

Safety

Safety.

  1. What risks do some internet challenges pose, and what guidance do safety bodies give? provenance
  2. Which entry fits online safety? action
Learn History and teaching.

Education.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did memes develop from early internet culture to today, and how are they documented? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How can memes be used in media literacy education? action
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should internet memes be a separate entry?
  • How should meme documentation resources be linked?
  • How should media literacy guidance be linked?
Draft as JSON