DON’T JUMP THE MEME SHARK
LLOYD JOHNSON
JUMPING THE SHARK = THE MOMENT WHEN A BRAND, DESIGN, OR CREATIVE EFFORT’S EVOLUTION LOSES THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES THAT INITIALLY DEFINED ITS SUCCESS AND DECLINES,
ULTIMATELY, INTO IRRELEVANCE
Wikipedia, 2013
VIZ:
Wikipedia, 2013
WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW ARTIFACTS OF CULTURE ARE AT RISK OF IMPLODING BY LOOKING AT
HOW THEY SPREAD
DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONA THEORY TO EXPLAIN HOW, WHY, AND HOW FAST
IDEAS SPREAD THROUGH CULTURE
ELEMENTS THAT INFLUENCE DIFFUSION:
Wikipedia, 2013
THE INNOVATION
COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS
TIME
THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
Wikipedia, 2013
AN INNOVATION’SINFLECTION POINT
THE HOT ZONE
STRAP ON THE SKIS
THE INTERNET HAS COMPRESSED THE SPEED AT WHICH INNOVATIONS BOTH DIFFUSE AND DECAY
LATENCY = TIME BETWEEN ASKING A COMPUTER FOR SOMETHING AND GETTING IT
Pcmag.com encyclopedia
CULTURAL LATENCY = THE TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BIRTH OF A UNIT OF CULTURE
AND YOUR NOTICING/USING/DISCARDING IT
“AS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES BECOME FASTER AND MORE PERVASIVE, THE LATENCY OF CULTURE IS ACTUALLY DECREASING....NOW WE HAVE MILLIONS OF EYES ALL CONNECTED TO A REAL-TIME MICRO BROADCAST MESSAGING PLATFORM VIA A MOBILE DEVICE THEY HAVE WITH THEM AT ALL TIMES, AND A SOCIAL EAGERNESS TO DEMONSTRATE PRIMACY.
CULTURAL LATENCY IS NEARING ZERO, AT LEAST IN THE MORE CONNECTED PARTS OF THE WORLD.”
-FARIS YAKOB
“Cultural Latency,” fastcompany.com, Jul 1, 2009
AS SHARING BECOMES MORE FRICTIONLESS, NEW UNITS OF CULTURE DECAY EVEN MORE RAPIDLY
THE INTERNET MEME IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE HYPER-SPEED OF TODAY’S CULTURAL LATENCY
THESE AREN’T YOUR FATHER’S MEMES
“AN INTERNET MEME IS A PIECE OF CONTENT OR AN IDEA THAT'S PASSED FROM PERSON TO PERSON, CHANGING AND EVOLVING ALONG THE WAY. ”
knowyourmeme.com/about
A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES
GIFS
ALTHOUGH THE GIF IS A PACKAGE TO DELIVER
CONTENT, IT HAS ITS OWN CULTURAL SUBSTANCE
GIFS AREN’T NEW, BUT HAVE LIVED IN THE SHADOWS FOR A LONG TIME
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013
...AND THEN TUMBLR HAPPENED
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013
BUT IS THIS WHAT’S DOING GIFS IN?
(FRAME-GRAB GIFS)
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013
OR IS IT THIS?
MORE APPS ARE BEING MADE IN RESPONSE TO THE POPULARITY OF GIFS
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013
BUT SOME GIF-INSPIRED APPS DON’T ACTUALLY MAKE GIFS
THE HARLEM SHAKE
“Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013
“Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013
Google Trends, Mar 13, 2013
WORLDWIDE SEARCH PEAK: MARCH 2
WHY WAS IT SO CONTAGIOUS?
“Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013
SHORT
EASY TO REPLICATE
CONSISTENT FORMAT
NETWORK STRENGTH OF EARLY OPINION LEADERS
THE PEOPLE GROW RESTLESS
BUT THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE GAG-METER
SUGGESTIONS TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING WITHOUT
JUMPING THE MEME SHARK
DON’T TRY TO MANUFACTURE STICKINESS --FACILITATE IT
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ON THE INTERWEBS:
“THE SHARK IS THE STAR”
EMBRACE NEW TOOLS, BUT BE CONSISTENT
The Evolution of Shark Week, Pop Culture Leviathan, theatlantic.com, Aug 13, 2012
@LLOYD2ND
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