Re: virus: Meme Collecting

Robert Moritz (robertmoritz@earthlink.net)
Mon, 23 Nov 1998 11:14:32 -0600


>
> >I am trying to put together a list of the most successful (the top 100
> >or so) memes and mind-viruses ever to exist.

um...just curious. How would you rate the success of a meme/complex?

Proliferation rate would have been a good measure up until a mass media
came about; now money is all that's needed to make a meme breed like a
rabbit. For example: Yes, I know what cereal is magically delicious,
but i do not eat that cereal.

So is the successfulness of a meme it's proliferation AND its ability to
influence behavior? If so, how can such a meme be measured? Cause and
effect cannot really be applied here...I don't know anybody who would
say "I eat lucky charms because they're magically delicious."

By the way, has anybody suggested riddles as a meme for the list yet?

Robert
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