Origin of memes
The word meme was coined by the biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. He defined it as ideas that could replicate, evolve, and enter popular culture in a process similar to the way genes spread.
Today, a meme is a variant of an image based on a common theme that has spread widely. It is often funny but also carries political messages.
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Origins of memes
Memes have their origins in the world of academia. Richard Dawkins coined the term 'meme' in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. Dawkins describes a meme as "a unit of cultural transmission or imitation."
The word comes from the Greek 'mimema', meaning imitated.
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