Meme hack
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A meme hack is altering a meme to express a point of view not intended or inherent in the original, or even opposite to the original. The meme can be thoughts, concepts, ideas, theories, opinions, beliefs, practices, habits, songs, or icons. Distortions of corporate logos are also referred to as Subvertising.
The most easily recognized meme hacks are those of famous political slogans.
From Samizdata: "Intentionally altering a concept or phrase, or using it in a different context, so as to subvert the meaning."
An excellent example would be Darwinism vs Social Darwinism. Any number of religious denominations can be considered meme hacks, though the exact nature of the considered hacks vs. the original memetic content can be heavily argued due to individual interpretations. Examples may also include Christian vegetarianism or even Christian polygamy in a modern context.
An example from the year 2005 is the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and the Reprinters' arguments regarding Free Speech and Freedom of the Press.
See also Stephen Downes, Hacking Memes (First Monday, volume 4, issue 11) for a detailed description of meme hacks.
[edit] See also
- Adbusters
- Merry Pranksters
- Popular culture
- Cultural criticism
- Reality hacking
- Schwa (art)
- Veterans of Future Wars
- Yippies
Meme hacking is also referred to as subvertising or subliminal messaging.
