A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning … See more

The term meme is a shortening (modeled on gene) of mimeme, which comes from Ancient Greek mīmēma (μίμημα; pronounced See more

Memes, analogously to genes, vary in their aptitude to replicate; successful memes remain and spread, whereas unfit ones stall and are forgotten. Thus, memes that prove more effective at replicating and surviving are selected in the meme pool.
Memes first need … See more

Dawkins noted the three conditions that must exist for evolution to occur:
1. variation, or the introduction of new change to existing elements;
2. heredity or replication, or the … See more

Early formulations
Although Richard Dawkins invented the term meme and developed meme theory, he has not claimed that the idea was entirely novel, and there have been other expressions for similar ideas in the past.
For instance, the … See more

Dawkins initially defined meme as a noun that "conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation". John S. Wilkins retained the notion of meme as a kernel of cultural imitation while emphasizing the meme's evolutionary aspect, defining the … See more

Memetics is the name of the field of science that studies memes and their evolution and culture spread. While the term "meme" appeared in various forms in German and Austrian texts near the turn of the 20th century, Dawkin's unrelated use of the term in The … See more