I meme, therefore I am.

Internet memes are largely perceived as humorous and satirical, the perfect medium to relate
day-to-day pains or simply a way to visualize a good joke. It must be noted that memes do not just refer
to funny images, GIFs or YouTube videos. What the word meme refers to is the idea contained in
those vessels of expression. As Richard Dawkins defined it, a meme is a unit of cultural transmission
that can replicate, mutate, and spread (The Selfish Gene, 1976). One could say that he framed ideas as
an infection (which is why something can go viral) as ideas too can fuse, recombine, segregate their
content evolve. Simply put, ideas replicate.

Today, ideas replicate through what is seen as your everyday commonplace meme, the very
ones you see on your social media platform of choice. Memes are used to express your thoughts and
sentiments about particular things in a way that makes it easier to digesta mixture of simplified words
and popular images. Opinions become more presentable when the Unpopular Opinion Puffin or the
Confession Bear tells it like it is. But beyond that, memes have also become a media to express political
ideas. In fact, some people are aware of social trends and news through them. Memes tell us how a
social crisis may be viewed and understood, and how people may use it to perpetuate that perspective.

Take for example the 2016 US election, everybody knows the so-called meme war between the
Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Some have so far as argued that in a political
climate where the likability of a candidate may decide the final results, memes have become a strong
tool to shape basic like or dislike opinions of a particular candidate, more so than the publics
understanding of their platforms. Particularly powerful examples are Hillary Clinton email memes, Ted
Cruz is the Zodiac Killer, and Pepe the Frog.

The Hillary

Ideas replicate they too can fuse, recombine, segregate their content evolve

Meme a unit of cultural transmission that can replicate, mutate, and spread (Richard
Dawkins, The Selfish Gene 1976)

Ideas can go viral and infect. In fact, Richard Dawkins work perceived the infection of ideas just
like a viral or bacterial infection.

What are internet memes