Memetics is the study of the evolution of ideas. Memetics is a generalized form of genetics.
The term memetics comes from meme, which was coined by biologist Richard Dawkins. Meme rhymes with dream.
My preferred way of thinking about memes is as memory. I define a meme as an information packet.
The cool thing about memes like these pictures is that the ideas I’m talking about for why they spread can be tested: run a lot of different A/B tests and see what spreads best.
These studies are in reverse chronological order. The thinking evolves through time.