Please write a short evaluation of the meme material in Wikipedia, focusing on this question: How useful is the meme concept with respect to its utility in constructing cultural meanings, cultural simulations, cultural innovations, and cultural designs?
Employing a meme framework, please evaluate the utility for your developing career of four roles: the Devil’s Advocate; the Anthropologist; the Experimenter; and the Cross-Pollinator.
October 4, 2010
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According to Wikipedia, the word ‘meme’ originates from the Greek word μιμητισμός (/mɪmetɪsmos/) for “something imitated” (Wikipedia). The word functions as a unit of culture which is transmitted in society through imitable phenomena (speech, gestures, rituals, writing, etc…). Coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, a meme is comparable within human society to a gene within a human being. Yet, one of the strongest criticisms of memes has been the ambiguity and differing sizes a meme can take. A meme can be a word, a phrase, an idea, a book, or any other unit of culture which is created and then transferred to others through imitation. As such a meme can be contained within another meme. Among the various uses of the concept, it allows an individual to visualize human culture as an ever changing structure where memes are constantly competing with one another for a space in which to replicate. Memes can spread both horizontally and vertically, and as they influence a greater number of individuals they increase their likelihood to carry on.
Yet, while the meme is an interesting concept, is a meme a significantly new idea or has cultural adaptation and replication been significantly addressed in other fields of study? Is there a need for this new term? Other terms, including “culturgen” have failed to survive over the years. Will the concept of memes flourish, or will theories within fields such as of sociology, cultural anthropology, and social psychology dictate how the concept of culture, cultural adaptation, and cultural change is addressed within academic literature? Is the concept of memes itself a self-replicating meme?
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Devil’s Advocate: As long as there is a strong sense of team work present, criticism can prove to be a very useful tool. However, if an individual is criticizing ideas by focusing on their weaknesses, even if there are only a few, and does so with the intention of discrediting the presenter, then that individual will likely have a detrimental effect in the innovative capacity of that organization. It is important to be honest and to provide one’s views and opinion but in a constructive manner.
Anthropologist: A good anthropologist will be aware of the cultural changes, and the new memes being replicated within an environment. By carefully observing others and being aware of different memes they use, particularly memes used by competing organizations, clients, and prospective clients, an organization can adapt itself and increase its appeal to clients and prospects. Always being in the lookout can increase one’s ability to adapt and respond effectively to new memes and innovations.
Experimenter: As Tom Kelley contends, by bringing to the board more than one idea, it is more likely that you ideas and prototypes will be evaluated for their individual worth rather than as a reflection of others’ opinion of your general work. The criticism is also less likely to be perceived as personal. Memes are constantly being created, yet will these memes replicate themselves or perish? By having an array of ideas as well as constructive criticism, the organization will be in a better position to benefit from these innovations.
Cross-Pollinator: Moving to the United States fundamentally altered my perceptions and broadened my perspective, this was not simply the result of learning a different language and having a higher standard of living, but more importantly it allowed me to perceive that there was more than one way to reach a goal, one way to interact with others, one way to see the world. Constantly travelling and anthropologically analyzing different contexts can allow for a cross-pollinator to build bridges between previously separated view points. As a cross pollinator, and a T-shaped individual, after obtaining a PhD, an individual can perhaps have both the credibility within their field of expertise, and a general knowledge of other fields of study to promote cultural innovations and the creation of new memes and cultural designs.
