That is of course the original definition of a meme. However, the internet, and facebook in particular, has put itās own twist on it, and these days āon the internetā a meme is typically a single picture with a caption that changes the original meaning of the picture into a relatable experience or exclamation.
As with all words with multiple meanings, which one applies is mostly context.
By the original definition of the meaning, Calvin and Hobbes comics are far more of a meme than anything posted here. However, if you asked someone looking at a computer why they are giggling, and they said āOh, look at this funny memeā, you would not expect to go over and be looking at a comic strip.
The late Italo Calvino wrote a fascinating novel about the use of Tarot cards as, essentially, memes. The Castle of Crossed Destinies tells of a group of stranded travelers, magically struck mute in a mysterious castle, who use Tarot cards to tell their individual stories. In an afterword, Calvino says he had considered writing another story on this idea, but employing comic strips.
It was Richard Dawkins who invented the original word in his book The Selfish Gene. They are the cultural analogies of our biological genes and thanks to the internet, spread like a virusā¦ Here he eloquently evacuates on the subject:
Yep, thatās the original definition I referred to. Itās probably Dawkinās most scientific legacy. I suspect heāll be remembered for that long after his views on religion are forgotten. Itās so elegant and manifestly true.
Unless Iām mistaken, the idea first reached popular awareness through his book āThe Selfish Geneā.
Itās interesting how the āinternetā definition evolved from that - and this process itself is a meme!
That process being:
An observation: āthese funny captioned picture we share on the internet that make each other laugh are a type of memeā
(true)
-> āmemeā means āthese funny captioned pictures we share on the internet to make each other laughā
(not originally the case, but effectively the case, in that context)
Also, AFAIK wolves do it differently ā¦ the slower/older ones would be further ahead, making the pace for all, and the leader of the pack behind so that he can watch the whole pack.
I believe the confusion lies in understanding the definition of a meme. Their is the popular easily identifiable format of a mame. (Image + caption) but this is not the definition of a meme. A meme is like a social life form which is composed of information. It could be of audio format. Like, for example the quote from āCool Hand Lukeā. āWhat we have here. Is a failure to communicateā. This is a meme as well. But, I am with you a comic strip is not a meme. A meme is brief and well recognized. You arenāt going the revisit a popular meme with your friend by saying āYour remember that four frame comic strip about go?ā But if at an opportune moment you said something silly like āLuke, Iām your fatherā that would be a meme.
Actually, ātechnical memesā (IE memes according to Dawkinās definition) do not have to be brief. But a successful meme will be well recognised by the culture it is relevant to.
So for example, a native dance is a very complex thing, but it is a meme, because it is āpassed by imitation or other non-genetic meansā.
So are the works of Shakespere - these are highly successful memes that have survived generations of humans.
On the other hand, internet memes are typically brief and well recognised, both. And donāt tend to last long either.