On Memes

Fun fact: the term “meme” was first proposed by the science fiction writer John Barnes. He used it to refer to malicious ideas or thought processes that spread from person to person like diseases, literally taking over their minds. This is a pretty accurate description of most political memes. They are not designed to convey information. They are designed to manipulate you, circumventing the thinking part of your brain and hooking directly into the crouching ape underneath. Every political meme falls in a range from manipulative distortion to outright lie. Try to bear this in mind when they show up in your Facebook feed - particularly when they hit your personal hot buttons. Those are the ones you’re most vulnerable to.

All that said, Barnes’ Meme Wars books are pretty awesome. You should probably give them a look:  https://www.amazon.com/Orbital-Resonance-Meme-Wars-Barnes/dp/0812532384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508602173&sr=8-1&keywords=Orbital+Resonance