This headline made me think about the power of internet memes in our modern times.
You can meme a shitcoin into billions of real USD, and you can meme a man into the Presidency of the USA.
That is real power.
You can meme a shitcoin into billions of real USD, and you can meme a man into the Presidency of the USA.
That is real power.
It's always been a thing.
Now your message can be worldwide before the first reader has time to form an thoughtful opinion.
It needs to be such a simple, obvious message that resonates with everyone to a point they themselves are encouraged to share it. It needs to pass the over-the-shoulder test, where someone simply glancing over your shoulder and seeing it can understand what it is and get value from it.
The author's intent doesn't matter, really, they don't have control over it at all. It is simply stumbling by accident into a message that /already/ resonates with a vast majority of people. Which is why it tends to be extraordinarily simple things like a 'cute/funny dog', a distracted boyfriend, a pop culture reference, etc.
However, I suppose historical memes also started with just one person. But, the amplification took much more time.
I mean, computers gave us individual productivity gains. Sometimes, the productivity just sucks.
"Dangerous memes | Daniel Dennett"