Memes (Pronounced ‘meems’, not ‘me-mes’): Spread the word/idea
As Michael Pollan borrows mention in his book The Botany of Desire, a meme is a term quoted by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene as a unit of memorable cultural information.
Memes are the building blocks of our culture, passed among human beings, to achieve cultural innovation and progress. Memes that prove resilient sustain as symbols in our societies, proliferating through our communities and replicated to others, in an almost viral manner. Cultural change happens when a new meme is introduced and catches on.
Simply put, memes are symbols which make complex ideas more accessible and available to the rest of us, encouraging us to take action on movements and causes we care about. Very often, these nuggets of information are meant to incite humor, but are useful in uniting a community of people who are on the same page. The relevance of memes have exponentially increased in the era of digital communication and social media. They can take different forms, from videos to ads, and even statues.
To date, memorable memes that have spread like wildfire and subsisted through time are ones that have incited a sense of identity among a large population of audience. Memes can be particularly used to incite positive social change.
What happens when giving goes viral?
#1 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
An example is the ALS ice bucket challenge, which has had Facebook as its main vehicle of influence. ALS is an autoimmune disease that stands for armyotrophic lateral sclerosis and is also known as the Lou Gehrig’s disease. The challenge involved having a bucket of ice water being poured on one, either by oneself or friends, then nominating friends to do the same. Having originated from the US, the movement went viral in July-August 2014. Nominated individuals who choose not to do it opt out by donating to a charitable organization of their choice.
The success of the ice bucket challenge, fuelled mainly by the ease of accessibility, the prevalence of free social media platforms (i.e. Facebook), resulted in more than 2.4 million tagged videos on Facebook, as well as raised enough to fund a few projects battling the ALS disease.
Memes are a perfect example of we can best use online platforms to incite individuals to make some real social impact. The campaign may not have had individuals to understand the scientific effects of the disease, but it sure generated conversations and interest around it, turning some into activists rallying behind the cause.
#2 Fearless Girl statue
On the eve of International Women’s Day, a statue of a girl statue was installed in Wall Street New York, fearlessly staring down the Charging Bull, as an emphasis to the ongoing lack of gender diversity and equality in the corporate industry, of which NYC’s Wall Street was a representation. Initially commissioned to have it remain temporarily, the statue was later approved by NYC mayor Bill DeBlasio to remain permanently.
#3 Harambe
Following the unjust killing of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo, countless numbers of memes on him were circulated online, showing the fight and concern for environmental justice and animal cruelty. Though a local incident, at heart it revealed the unjustices that animals have received under humans. Vox has a pretty comprehensive article on it and the history of memes.
How else can we spread the word on social giving?
