by James Eric (Jay) Black
Black, J., Onukwube, E., & Auter, P. (2009, September 26). Presented at the annual Louisiana Communication Association conference. Northwestern State University. Natchitoches, LA.
Memes are the genetic blueprint on which our culture and knowledge base are constructed. The insights, thoughts and... more
Memes are the genetic blueprint on which our culture and knowledge base are constructed. The insights, thoughts and philosophies which form the bedrock of any society emerge as a result of the competition between a set of self-reinforcing and contradictory range of ideas. Like its parallel − the gene − in biological sciences, memes require a medium to be propagated and disseminated. Discourse, whether in the private or public realms, is the conduit through which memes were transferred from person to person, and one generation to another. The traditional modes of transmission are schools, libraries, and the print and electronic media. Before the explosion of information technology and communication as the driving force behind the fabric of civilization, the private and public spheres of communication were more easily delineated. Consequently, guarding private communication and upholding the tenets of civilization which support unwarranted and unwanted intrusions into privacy was less onerous. But the profiles of our daily existence have effectively been digitalized, therefore blurring the divide which hitherto segregated the private and public realms. Mores so, the fluid and dynamic digital ecosystem makes most violations on individual rights easy to perpetuate, but difficult to detect. This article explores the implications of this development on a range of issues such as privacy, national security and the propagation of memes.
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