A Quantitative Study of How Memes Spread 219
rememberclifford writes "A survey of about 3,000 people who were tagged in a '25 Random Things About Me' note on Facebook found that memes spread through social networks in a remarkably similar way as diseases do. A biologist who looked at the data says that '"25 Things" authors can be seen as "contagious" under what's known as a "susceptible-infected-recovered" model for the spread of disease,' with a propagation factor of 0.27 in this case. But like an infection, the whole thing died out as quickly as it exploded once the number of 'victims' — people who were willing to write 25 things about themselves — was depleted." The '25 Things' meme was at least as annoying as a light flu.
Re:Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Score:5, Informative)
He explained the spread of the Hush Puppy shoes by supposing it was started by a bunch of youths in New York City. He then concluded it was spread by viral marketing by such kids. Total circular logic with no evidence. Again, good book but it could have used a little more evidence to support its claims.
Don't click the link! (Score:2, Informative)
It's a trap!
Real answer... (Score:5, Informative)
Meme is pronounced similarly to gene. Is that "jeen", "jay nay", or "jee nee"? :)
Re:Real question... (Score:5, Informative)
I remember talking about this word in grade school, oddly enough... It's pronounced "mem meee"
I have two links for you. First, folk etymology is when you try to reconstruct the orgin of the word based on something other than actual research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_etymology [wikipedia.org]
Second, the word meme was coined by Richard Dawkins (a biologist) to explain how ideas can pass from one person to a next and change slightly, just like genes. He says the word is pronounced to rhyme with "gene," and he should know, since he made it up. With all apologies to your grade school classmates, of course.
Oh, here's your second link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme [wikipedia.org]
Re:Actually, the *REAL* Real Victims... (Score:3, Informative)
Memes are a sociological phenomenon, and are studied seriously by sociologists.
Not that I think sociology is a proper science, mind you, but it's still something that should be and has been studied seriously.
Re:Technically it's an STI (Score:3, Informative)
No, we doctors are calling them STI's now because infection is more accurate a word than "disease". Not everyone who is infected manifests the symptoms (the disease), but they are still infected.