tags: #memetics #cultural_evolution #information_theory [[information]] = 'that which brings people together and crafts common myths / world models ([[Harari]]) ## Core Concepts ### 🧬 Memetics Argument - **Claim**: Memes evolve like genes via Darwinian selection. Success depends on cultural *[[fitness]]*—memes replicate and mutate in minds and social systems, influenced by psychological predispositions. - **Selection Environments**: Power, media, and cognition are environments where memes evolve. Fit memes (e.g., religion, viral trends) exploit human biases or external structures. - **Empiricism**: Digital tools track meme spread, showing survival based on resonance, e.g., *“OK Boomer”*. Thus, memetic transmission is observable and testable. ### 🧠 Critique of Memetics - **Complexity**: Memes lack a defined replication process. Cultural ideas are shaped by intent, power, and social structures, not Darwinian competition. - **Popperian Critique**: Memetics is tautological: memes that spread are declared "fit", but this fails falsifiability, offering no predictions or testable mechanisms. - **Algorithmic Bias**: Memes spread via algorithmic manipulation (e.g., social media engagement) rather than inherent "fitness". ### 🔬 First Principles Synthesis - Memetics oversimplifies and fails to predict. Ideas lack genetic-like replication, and culture is shaped by complex variables, challenging falsifiability. - Digital traceability offers empirical data, supporting memetic theory, albeit mostly for surface-level phenomena. - **Popperian Lens**: Memetics, under [[critical rationalism]], requires stronger falsifiability or a more predictive theory to hold. --- ## Analogies - **⛅ Weather Prediction vs. Financial Markets**: Just as weather prediction involves randomness, so does financial market behavior, making it prone to unexpected fluctuations. Similarly, cultural evolution is often irrational and unstable, unlike the more predictable genetic evolution. - **💉 Viral Misinformation vs. Accurate Data**: Misinformation about vaccines spreads faster than accurate scientific data, even though the latter would improve survival. The misinformation often aligns with pre-existing fears and distrust in authority, making it “stickier.” --- ## In-depth Summary ### Difference Between Cultural and Biological Meme Spreading - **🌍 Cultural Information Spread**: Successful memes (viral videos) do not have long-term utility or consistency in adaptation. Unlike genes, which have a clear survival advantage, cultural ideas do not always reflect **fitness in the long term**. - **🎯 Emotional Appeal**: Viral misinformation spreads quickly due to emotional appeal, not because it provides long-term societal value. Cultural evolution is often irrational and unstable. - **⚡ Cognitive and Emotional Shortcuts**: Cultural information spreads because it exploits cognitive and emotional shortcuts rather than offering any direct survival benefit. Much of the information that spreads does so not because it’s beneficial but because it fits cognitive biases or provokes a strong emotional reaction (e.g., fear, anger, or surprise). ### 🧮 Information Theory and Cognitive Evolution - **High Entropy**: Culturally viral information might have high entropy—meaning it contains less predictable, more chaotic elements, which could explain why it spreads fast but loses coherence. - **Cognitive Evolution**: If high-quality information spreads more effectively, it aligns with [[cognitive evolution]], where the ability to reason and communicate accurate information is key to survival. Better alignment would improve collective decision-making. ### 📉 Aligning Incentives for High-Quality Information - **Incentive Misalignment**: Algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, leading to the amplification of content that may not be accurate but is emotionally charged. The system doesn’t inherently value truth, making it difficult for high-quality information to compete. - **Cognitive Limitations**: Human cognitive biases (confirmation bias, availability heuristic) make people more likely to engage with emotionally resonant content, regardless of its accuracy. Correcting misinformation is cognitively demanding, and by the time corrections emerge, the false information has often spread widely. ### 💡 Solutions - **User Incentive Structures**: Introduce rewards for sharing high-quality, fact-based content. - **Reputation Systems**: Platforms could create reputation systems for users who consistently share accurate, nuanced information. Similar to academic systems, users who share peer-reviewed articles or cite reputable sources could receive badges, recognition, or higher visibility for their content. - **Decentralization of Platforms**: Encourage the development of decentralized platforms where users have control over algorithmic choices. - **User-Governed Algorithms**: In a [[DAO|decentralized autonomous organizations]] social network, users could choose which types of algorithms govern their content feed (e.g., prioritize accuracy, prioritize fact-checked information, or prioritize diversity of viewpoints). # Difference between Cultural and Biological Meme Spreading - Cultural information spread might have different aims: - Successful memes (viral videos) often lack [[Long-term Utility]] or consistency in adaptation - [[Genes]] have a clear survival advantage - Does cultural information need to be "fit" to spread, just as genes are? - The spread of cultural ideas doesn't always reflect **fitness in the long term** - Example: Viral [[Misinformation]] spreads quickly due to emotional appeal, not because it provides long-term societal value - **Cultural evolution is often irrational and unstable** - More "fit" information like neutral, fact-based information often spreads slower - What is the maximizing function of cultural information? - Cultural information spreads by exploiting **[[Cognitive Biases]] and emotional shortcuts** rather than offering direct survival benefits - Much information spreads not because it's beneficial, but because it fits cognitive biases or provokes strong emotional reactions (e.g., fear, anger, or surprise) - Example: [[Vaccine Misinformation]] spreads faster than accurate scientific data, even though the latter would improve survival. This occurs because misinformation often aligns with pre-existing fears and distrust in authority, making it "stickier" - - Cultural information and [[Entropy]]: - [[Information Theory]]: Culturally viral information might have high entropy—meaning it contains less predictable, more chaotic elements, which could explain why it spreads fast but loses coherence - Cognitive Evolution: - [[Evolutionary Biology]]: If high-quality information spreads more effectively, it aligns with **cognitive evolution**, where the ability to reason and communicate accurate information is key to survival. Better alignment would improve collective decision-making ## Why Information Spreads: [[SUCCES]] Principles The book "[[Made to Stick]]" by Chip and Dan Heath outlines the SUCCES principles for why information spreads: - **S**imple: Ideas that are easy to grasp and remember - **U**nexpected: Information that surprises or intrigues - **C**redible: Ideas that seem trustworthy or come from reliable sources - **C**oncrete: Concepts that are tangible and relatable - **E**motional: Information that evokes feelings - **S**tories: Ideas presented in narrative form --- ## Quotes for Emphasis > “Cultural evolution is often irrational and unstable, unlike the more predictable genetic evolution.” > “Misinformation about vaccines spreads faster than accurate scientific data, even though the latter would improve survival.” --- ## Related Concepts and Backlinks - **Backlink 1**: [[Information Theory]] - **Backlink 2**: [[Evolutionary Biology]] - **Backlink 3**: [[Cognitive Biases]] --- ## Open Questions/Further Thoughts - How can we align the spread of high-quality information with a system incentivized by engagement, not accuracy? - What mechanisms can be implemented to reduce the spread of emotionally charged but inaccurate information? - How can decentralized platforms be designed to prioritize factual accuracy without compromising user engagement? - Will the progress of information technologies is likely to destabilise democratic systems and strengthen authoritarian ones? [[Harari]] [[demokratie]]