Who doesn't watch memes these days? People cheer themselves up with funny pictures and send them to each other.
Some memes quickly disappear from the infofield. And some become «viral» and pass from one person to another.
Nowadays, the concept of «meme» and the Internet are inextricably linked. But this was not always the case. After all, the concept itself appeared long before the worldwide spread of the Internet, as far back as 1976. And it was invented by a biologist.
History of memes
In 1976, biologist Richard Dawkins put forward a theory in his book The Selfish Gene:
The best cultural symbols and ideas become popular and spread just as the best genes tend to become permanently established in organisms and reproduce.
In living organisms, the best genes always tend to reproduce. This is exactly how evolution happens. They are permanently fixed in the gene pool and are present in the organism from generation to generation.
The same happens with ideas and cultural phenomena. The most interesting and adaptive of them begin to multiply in all strata of society and cultures.
It was these ideas that Dawkins called the first memes. Subsequently, Internet jokes were also perfectly integrated into this theory.
In the 90s, the Internet began to conquer the world and a computer was already in almost every home. Forums and communication on the Internet began to gain popularity.
Interesting ideas from the forums began to spread through various threads and discussions. That's how the first memes appeared. But they were far from just funny pictures. They could be any thoughts, ideas, and even tasks.
Gradually, the first memes turned into the jokes we are accustomed to. Pictures, videos, phrases.
They were selected by millions of people and became «viral». That is, they spread on the Internet like a virus. From one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. And so on.
Memes in today's world
Nowadays, memes aren't just jokes. It's a true mode of communication for the buzzer generation and Alpha.
People don't just send funny pictures to each other. They express their feelings through them, share their inner world and even confess their love.
Especially popular now are memes that describe a typical condition or situations in which people recognize themselves.
Memes have infiltrated every aspect of life. People joke about their work and share their feelings. People even learn from memes. By the way, this is a great way to engage children and teenagers in learning.
Here are examples of memes about learning Russian:
In the same way, memes can help in learning any other subject. And at the same time, they add humor and interest to the learning process.
Memes are all around us everywhere. And now you know they're not just funny pictures. It's a whole phenomenon with a scientific history.
