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The effects of the internet on society
The effects of the internet on society
The effects of the internet on society
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Memes Shaping the Blogosphere
The science of memetics – the scientific and systematic study of memes and their propagation – is not quite considered a science yet. People will concede that memes are a key factor in cultural evolution, but they are too difficult to track, too unpredictable to study closely. Unless we "someday discover a striking identity between brain structures storing the same information, allowing us to identify memes syntactically" (Dennett 354), it would seem that there is little hope for a science of memetics. How can we explore and apply memetics to culture if we cannot isolate and investigate the memes themselves, and their behaviors and effects?
While memes' motion and influence through culture at large is perhaps impossible to analyze using a precise methodology, memes' virus-like spread on the internet – most notably throughout the so-called "blogosphere" – is easier to follow. Consequently, it is also much easier to highlight how memes have directed the evolution of the "blogosphere," and, indeed, of blogging and internet itself. Richard Dawkins, who is credited with coining the term "meme," defines it as:
...a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation... Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperm or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation (Dennett 344-5).
Since the blogosphere can be defined as the internet space populated by weblogs, memes travel through it not from brain to brain, but from page to page, leaving a trail that can be monitored and analyzed.
Memes have been an important part of the blogging world since at least 2001, when "Best Meme" first appeared as a category in The Bloggies, the annual Oscars of weblogging. The winner in the "Best Meme" category that year was "A Day Without Weblogs," which suggested that each December 1st, people use their weblogs to link to information and resources about AIDS, in memory of those who had died. "A Day Without Weblogs" had in fact begun with only fifty blogs in 1999, but by 2001, over 1,000 webloggers participated (Link and Think, 2003). The success of "A Day Without Weblogs" was one of the first demonstrations of the power and reach of the blogging community. The success of the project helped bring crucial attention to a serious issue, and mobilized many casual web surfers to donate time and money to the cause.
Genes transfer biological traits which are transferred from parent to offspring and typically confer some benefit to its holder. It may not be optimal benefit, however does confer some benefit. Memes on the other hand transfer psychologically appealing information. Genes typically need a generation or so to be transmitted whereas memes spread quicker than would genes and can be transmitted in a matter of seconds. While there are some substantial differences the two are also very similar. Both memes and genes are very good at getting themselves copied. These genes that are good at copying themselves will become more prevalent in the environment and comparably so will those memes that are most psychologically appareling. A meme, according to Dawkins, can be considered a cultural counterpart to a gene. For example, although we don’t know the specific origins of where God came from, the idea of a divine being can often be seen in writings, art and music and even word of mouth. These tools have essentially been responsible for carrying on this idea of a divine being, thus making this a
“Are Telomeres the Key to Aging and Cancer?” Learn.Genetics.11 February 2014. University of Utah. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/chromosomes/Telomeres/
Family homelessness is a fairly new social problem in America. Beginning in the early 1980’s, families with children have become the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
The term survival of the fittest applies not only to species, but ideas. Good ideas have the ability to spread and infiltrate the minds of many, a trait that some ill-conceived ideas can themselves employ. Richard Dawkins identified a new replicator in the world, the meme, a replicator of culture. It is this replicator that men such as Jonathan Kozol rely on. For without the propagation of ideas, Kozol’s thoughts on education reform would only be known to himself.
Terranova, T. (2004). Network Dynamics. In T. Terranova, Network Culture: Politics for the Information Age (pp. 29-72). London: Pluto.
In Gladstone’s view, “ The echo chambers give rise to cyber cascades, when a fact sent by one person spreads in a geometric progression to others until millions of people around the world potentially believe it” (332). Gladstone’s point is that instead of thought or ideas or traveling by word of mouth, the internet is able to spread the truth or lie to millions of people and the easiest way to do this is with the people are like-minded. This refers back to birds of a feather flock together.
Hiyama E and K. Hiyama. 2007: Telomere and telomerase in stem cells. British Journal of Cancer. 96.p.1020- 1024
Ting Toomey and Chung (2005) put forward a model where culture can be thought of as an iceberg with distinct levels. Accordingly, the surface level of the iceberg represents popular culture constituting artifacts such as artworks and customs. The reason they are put into the outermost level is because they can be straightway noticed in everyday life. Beneath this is the intermediate level, which is comprised of symbols, meanings, and norms. Meanings are linked to symbols which can take the form of signs, words, and para-lingual behaviors. Norms; however, determine what accounts for an appropriate or an inappropriate behavior. Consisting of traditions, beliefs, and values which are common to all members of the same culture is the deep level. It is worth noting that all of the previously mentioned levels rest upon another invisible part, called ‘universal human needs’ incorporating love for one another, passion, and respect…etc. These are not specific to any particular culture, they are ‘universal’. Hence, culture is viewed by Ting Toomey and Chung (2005) as per the following figure:
According to the social networking site Facebook, the company’s overview states “to give the people the power to share and make the world more open and connected”. Within the last few years we have seen the world increasingly becoming smaller by way of social networking sites. The everyday tasks that we use seem so insignificant have now become an integral part of many lives. Simple daily tasks such as talking, setting plans, playing games, and even dating now have all become accessible through Facebook by bringing our personal relationships out into the public domain. Each user has the ability to declare to the world their relationship status by selecting through a variety of options ranging from single, married, to it’s confusing. In some areas, Facebook is considered the official announcement tool of our social status. The power given to us by Facebook has grown to the point of complete control in every aspect of our social interaction with people, but has it eliminated the need for personal interaction within human relationships?
A meme indeed is passed around and around when a person copies or imitates something. That something can be sounds, attitudes, and even movements. When we are told something, we might not recite the same sentence word from word to someone, but we surely pass parts of it to the individual. This is an example of a meme. “We humans, because of our powers of imitation, have become just the physical ‘host’ needed for the meme to get around” (37). The meme uses us to make itself known to the world. In this case, we have no control over ourselves or the meme and let the meme get around. It is superior and dominates our thoughts and ideas. All this time we thought that we make our own decisions, however through the “meme’s eye view”, our brain activity is old and
In Patrick Davison’s essay “The Language of internet memes”, he describes his definition of an internet meme through the anyasis of Richard Dawkins article “The Selfish Gene”. Davison describes an internet meme as “a piece of culture, typically a joke, which gains influence through online transmission”. Davison states that not all internet memes are jokes but the speed they are shared makes them unique, as opposed to jokes that are shared written or verbally.
Although Carr’s sources may be highly praised in their field or study, they are not experts in the effects the Internet has on our minds. Bloggers are often very opinionated and do not pose as reliable sources for information. The fact tha...
Terry, D. (2008). Association of longer telomeres with better health in centenarians. The Journals of Gerontology.Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 63(8), 809-812.
Despite the drawbacks, social media has grown at a rate where it is inconceivable that things will change anytime soon. The field of research into changing brain patterns based on our increasingly umbilical devotion to social media platforms is still very much in its infancy, but will be a fascinating one to keep an eye on into the future. We are living in a brave new world, and advances in technology are only going to create even more ways of connecting and communicating with each other — virtually, at least.
Researchers have found out that the aging of cells is a result of damage in the molecules which make up the cells, such as proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA. These building blocks of our cells get damaged over time, this causes the cells to function less well. The cells in their turn build up the different tissues in the human body, therefor if these cells operate less well the entire human body will be affected by this in the form of aging.