Virally shared “nuggets of cultural currency” such as

these are examples of “memetic”, an important

mechanism of meaning that pre-dates the internet but
is now central to the internet’s rising creative
MEME
comment culture.
-Sean Rintel 2014
S
 HISTORY

• Early in the 1920s, the biologist Richard Semon used the term

“memes” in theorizing biologically inheritable memory.

• Richard Dawkins, in his 1974 book The Selfish Gene, took a

different tack, shortening the Greek term “mimētḗs” (imitator) to
coin “meme” as a cultural analogue to the biological gene: a “
self-replicating unit of information”.
Replication

Not all memes are successful, and even “new” memes often bear
traces of those that have passed.

Nor are memes static – rather they have three properties by

which they evolve existing variations:
 INTERTEXTUALITY.

Memes reference other memes or other concepts

 INDEXICALITY.

An element in one meme can be used to comment on many

situations.
 TEMPLATABILITY.

Memes have recognizable structures with spaces for new

content
A meme may be created by an
individual or an institution
deliberately
(many
marketing companies now strive to
create viral content) or, as often as
not, an accidental image, turn-of-
phrase or concept will be exploited
by a savvy netizen
Replicability. Digital objects are infinitely
reproducible and exploitable across a range of
platforms.
In danah boyd’s terms, the
internet is a “networked public”
that has four features highly
Searchability. Finished versions of memes as conducive to making and
well as raw materials and templates are easily spreading memes:
found.
Scalability. Digital objects are created for a
particular audience but with the knowledge that In danah boyd’s terms, the
they can spread to an unknowably large internet is a “networked public”
audience wherever the internet is available.
that has four features highly
conducive to making and
Persistence. Although individual digital objects spreading memes:
may not last as long as analogue objects, they
are infinitely transferable and storable in many
locations.
One might be forgiven, at this point, for
wondering why memes matter beyond
entertainment.
Understanding memes is an important way
to keep a finger on current trends or the 
appeal of long term trends, but more
importantly memes tell us about 
new literacies, how people understand crises
 and how they attempt to effect social change
 through movements 
Men are from Mars and
Women are from Venus
-John Gray
• Men and women are different by nature

• To get along, we should take a step

towards the other without compromising
our true nature -John Gray

• Men care about competence and

achievement, women about feelings
The most common complaints of a woman are that his man:

• Doesn’t listen
• Is inattentive
• Is no longer romantic
• Is self-centered
• Divorcing reason: he doesn’t give back to all her giving
Men would complain that his woman:
• Overreacts
• Make a big deal out of nothing
• Withholds sex
• Is unreasonable
• Divorcing reason: no matter what I do she’s never happy
These are the most common fears by gender:

Fears for men

• Men deepest fear is of being incompetent and not good enough.
• They are afraid of giving because, when they give, they risk
failure and rejection.
Fear increases when he cares, so he might stop giving when he
cares the most.
Fears for women

• Women can be unconsciously afraid of being worthy of love and

she’s afraid of getting too much.
She’s afraid she won’t be supported and unknowingly pushes
away the support she needs, which makes him feel rejected and
turns him off
• Men are empowered: when they feel needed and trusted, so
women can feel free to show she needs him

• Women are empowered: when they feel cherished and cared for
Mr Fix-It

John Gray says that men care about abilities and women care about feelings.

Men value power, competency, achievement and their sense of self is defined by their
success and ability to achieve their goals.

Achieving  their goals is a way to prove their competency.

Similarly, men want and need to have their abilities recognized and appreciated and resent
having them ignored or called into question. When a woman offers to help it’s often an
offense for the man as that’s a vote of distrust in his abilities.

Women instead want to be listened. They don’t want to be alone and like cooperation and
assistance.
Men offer solutions when women complain, but women are not looking for solutions.
They want to have their feelings recognized and appreciated. They don’t want to be left
alone when hurt or when dealing with a problem.
Men Go To Their Caves And Women Talk
When dealing with problems men tend to withdraw, go sit by themselves and avoid
communication.
The problem is that women do the opposite: they communicate to find solution.
                           
When the two sexes communicate, women often communicate for the sake of
communication and for the sake of talking.

Men like to talk in a solution oriented fashion instead.

For a man, there must be a point and a conclusion in the conversation.

What a woman can do to help his man is to let him know in advance the outcome of the
story, and then go back for the details.

Men don’t like the suspense: give him the facts straight.
Speaking Different Languages

• Men communicate literally while women

communicate more dramatically and “artistically”.

• Women use “artistic” language as a way to more fully

express their feelings.

• Men like to sort through their thoughts privately

before communicating. But women can get antsy as
he steps back and they need reassurance he still cares.
Speaking Different Languages

• Women indeed prefer to sort through their thoughts “as they

speak” and tend to put all her concerns out there.

• Men can feel under assault when she does that because it’s a
threat to who he is.
He needs to know she still values him.

• When facing challenging situations the man likes his woman to

tell him he “got this” as that’s a tacit compliment of his skills.

• Conversely, he feels undercut if she offers assistance or

sympathy.
Speaking Different Languages

• The woman wants him to show concern instead, she feels

snubbed if he doesn’t offer any assistance.
She doesn’t want him to tell her the problem is “easy” as that
would be a way of brushing off her feelings.
• Men also have a tendency to jump in with solutions as the
woman talks about her problems.

• He wants to show his skills and resoluteness.

But the woman doesn’t want to hear solutions, she wants first
of all to be heard.

The man should then offer a solution only after he has fully
listened to her.