Mutation

Meme Topic 3: Mutation

As you’re now getting through the McLuhan, Hall, Fiske and Postmodernism lectures, you’re no doubt thinking about mutation, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The best mutation, as any biologist will tell you (and I know we’ve a few in this class!), is that which adapts to better suit its environment. Hall makes it clear that for any Encoding to survive, it must be actively Decoded by an audience. As Fiske says, the best popular culture is polysemic (has many possible meanings), making it flexible, open to interpretation, easier for folks to do what they want (or indeed, need) with it, whether that’s semiotic (taking meaning from it), enunciative (talking to others about it), textual (using it to make your own version), or all three.

How then, does mutation best work for memes?: In the postmodernism lecture we discussed our present environment, constituted by stark contrasts, contradictions and absurdities, which can happen on the personal, national, or international level. This filters through into meme culture in irony, sarcasm, juxtaposition, and cynicism. 

What, for you then, are the best mutations/adaptations to ensure a meme’s survival in our current environment? Thoughts with specific meme examples are encouraged.