• skulblaka@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    A meme (/miːm/; MEEM) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. (Source: Wikipedia, though other dictionaries say similar.)

    I think by a broad definition it still counts. But by a broad definition, Rock-Paper-Scissors is a meme.

    I know this is pedantic, but defining what is and is not a meme is actually a pretty interesting problem. It’s a basic unit of data that’s shared and replicated among thinking minds. It’s our currency of culture.