Chapter Seven:

Memetic Ecology in Action

In Thought Contagion, Aaron Lynch limits his analysis to the level of the larger, more permanent belief structures and does not take into account the faster transmission of casual ideas as memetic patterns⁵⁰. Lynch compares memetics to the fictional science of 'Psychohistory' which Asimov proposed in the Foundation series, and in his attempt to catalog the similarities he seems to have gotten somewhat hung-up on the differences. We feel the answer is to integrate 'pure' memetics with a post-structural practice grounded in sociological theory as well as with the disciplines of cooperative game theory and information sciences. At the same time, incorporating an understanding of the role of counter-public spheres and rhizomatic networks capable of spreading memes outside of, or underneath, the awareness of the primary or parent culture, is vital to understanding the totality of the memetic ecology in action.

Memes are at the conversion point where the flow of desire transforms into actions taken. They attach themselves to the needs/desire and motivate action. All memes contain an action for someone to carry out. Many times that action will be further spreading the meme, but other times it will include actions such as voting for a candidate or buying a product. Because memetic entities exist across persons it is possible they will form a group mind. To repurpose the idea Deleuze stole from Spinoza, a body is defined by what it can do. When a percentage of a population chooses to vote a certain way because of a shared belief, that event can be interpreted as the action of the belief system, terministic screen, or memetic entity. The important thing about a meme is not the packaging or the meaning, but the intention it carries.

Just as we visualize the internet as a cyberspace constructed out of the memory of nodes and the lines of communication between them, we visualize the memetic ecosphere as a mental space based on human beings and the lines of communication between them. The Internet is one communication platform for this network.