Memes, as any alt-right Pepe sorcerer will tell you, are not just frivolous entertainment. They are magic, the stuff by which reality is made and manipulated. What's perhaps surprising is that this view is not so far off from one within the US defense establishment, where a growing body of research explores how memes can be used to win wars.
This recent election proved that memes, some of which have been funded by politically motivated millionaires and foreign governments, can be potent weapons, but they pose a particular challenge to a superpower like the United States.
Memes appear to function like the IEDs of information warfare. They are natural tools of an insurgency; great for blowing things up, but likely to sabotage the desired effects when handled by the larger actor in an asymmetric conflict. Just think back to the NYPD's hashtag boondoggle for an example of how quickly things can go wrong when big institutions try to control messaging on the internet. That doesn't mean research should be abandoned or memes disposed of altogether, but as the NYPD case and other examples show, the establishment isn't really built for meme warfare.
For a number of reasons, memetics are likely to become more important in the new White House.
To understand this issue, we first have to define what a meme is because that is a subject of some controversy and confusion in its own right. We tend to think of memes from their popular use on the internet as iterative single panel illustrations with catchy tag lines, Pepe and Lolcats being two well known known examples of that type. But in its scientific and military usage a meme refers to something far broader. In his 2006 essay Evolutionary Psychology, Memes and the Origin of War, the American transhumanist writer Keith Henson defined memes as "replicating information patterns: ways to do things, learned elements of culture, beliefs or ideas."
Memetics, the study of meme theory and application, is a kind of grab bag of concepts and disciplines. It's part biology and neuroscience, part evolutionary psychology, part old fashioned propaganda, and part marketing campaign driven by the same thinking that goes into figuring out what makes a banner ad clickable. Though memetics currently exists somewhere between science, science fiction, and social science, some enthusiasts present it as a kind of hidden code that can be used to reprogram not only individual behaviors but entire societies.
For a number of reasons, memetics are likely to become more important in the new White House. Jeff Giesea is a former employee of tech giant and Trump donor Peter Thiel, and an influential organizer within the alt right who was prominently featured in recent profiles on the movement and its ties to the Trump administration. Giesea is also the author of an article published in an official NATO strategic journal in late 2015just as the Trump campaign was really building steamentitled "It's Time to Embrace Memetic Warfare."
"It's time to drive towards a more expansive view of Strategic Communications on the social media battlefield," Giesea said in his essay on the power of memes. "It's time to adopt a more aggressive, proactive, and agile mindset and approach. It's time to embrace memetic warfare."
Giesea was far from the first to suggest this. Some forward thinkers within the US military were interested in how memes might be used in warfare years before the killing and digital resurrection of Harambe dominated popular culture. Public records indicate that the military's interest in memes picked up after 2001, spurred by the wars against jihadist terrorist groups and the parallel "War of ideas" with Islamist ideology.
Despite the government research and interest inside the military for applying memes to war, it seemed to be insurgent groups that used them most effectively.
"Memetics: A Growth Industry in US Military operations" was published in 2005 by Michael B. Prosser, then a Major and now a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps. Written as an assignment for the Marine Corps' School of Advanced Warfighting, Prosser's paper includes a disclaimer clarifying that it represents only his own views and not those of the military or US government. In it, he lays out a vision for both weaponizing and diffusing memes, defined as "units of cultural transmission" and "bits of cultural information transmitted and replicated throughout populations and/or societies" in order to "understand and defeat an enemy ideology and win over the masses of undecided noncombatants."
Prosser's paper includes a detailed proposal for the development of a "Meme Warfare Center." The center's function is to "advise the Commander on meme generation, transmission, coupled with a detailed analysis on enemy, friendly and noncombatant populations." Headed by a senior civilian or military leader known as a "Meme Management Officer" or "Meme and Information Integration Advisor," Prosser writes, "the MWC is designed to advise the commander and provide the most relevant meme combat options within the ideological and nonlinear battle space."
Subscribe to the Motherboard podcast on iTunes
A year after the Meme Warfare Center proposal was published, DARPA, the Pentagon agency that develops new military technology, commissioned a four-year study of memetics. The research was led by Dr. Robert Finkelstein, founder of the Robotic Technology Institute, and an academic with a background in physics and cybernetics.
Finkelstein's study of "Military Memetics" centered on a basic problem in the field, determining "whether memetics can be established as a science with the ability to explain and predict phenomena." It still had to be proved, in other words, that memes were actual components of reality and not just a nifty concept with great marketing.
Finkelstein's work tries to bring memetics closer to hard science by providing a "meme definition for Military Memetics," that is "information which propagates, has impact, and persists (Info-PIP)." Classifying memes according to this definition, and separating them out from all the ideas that don't count as memes, he offers metrics like "persistence" to measure their effectiveness.
Despite the government research and interest inside the military for applying memes to war, it seemed to be insurgent groups that used them most effectively. During the early stages of ISIS' war in Iraq and Syria, for instance, the group used memes to captivate an international audience and broadcast its message both to enemies and potential recruits.
One of the first public applications of the research into memetics and social media propaganda was the State Department's 2013 "Think Again Turn Away" initiative. The campaign's attempts to counteract ISIS social media propaganda did not turn out well. The program, according to director of the SITE Intelligence Group Rita Katz, was "not only ineffective, but also provides jihadists with a stage to voice their arguments." Similar to how ISIS supporters hijacked the government's platform, a year later activists used the NYPD's own hashtag to highlight police abuse.
"Look at their fancy memes compared to what we're not doing," said Sen. Cory Booker to other members of the Homeland Security Committee during a 2015 hearing on "Jihad 2.0." Booker's assessment has become increasingly common but some critics question whether focusing on a "meme gap" is an effective way to combat groups like ISIS.
"I've never seen a military program in that area that was effective," John Robb, a former Air Force pilot involved in special operations and author of Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization, told Motherboard. As he sees it, the US military will always be at a structural disadvantage when it comes to applying memetics in war because, "the most effective types of manipulation all yield disruption." According to Robb, "the broad manipulation of public sentiment is really not in [the military's] wheelhouse," and that is largely because, "all the power is in the hands of the people on the outside doing the disruption."
Meme wars seem to favor insurgencies because, by their nature, they weaken monopolies on narrative and empower challenges to centralized authority. A government could use memes to increase disorder within a system, but if the goal is to increase stability, it's the wrong tool for the job.
"Stuff like this is perennial," Robb said about the new interest in meme warfare. "Every couple of years a new program comes out, people spend money for a couple of years then it goes away. Then people forget about that failure and they do it again."
We've just witnessed a successful meme insurgency in America. Donald Trump's campaign was founded as an oppositional movementagainst the Republican establishment, Democrats, the media, and "political correctness." It used memes successfully precisely because, as an opposition, it benefited by increasing disorder. Every meme about "Sick Hillary," "cucks," or "draining the swamp" chipped away at the wall built around institutional authority.
Trump's win shocked the world, but if we all read alt-right power broker Jeff Giesea's paper about memetic warfare in 2015, we might have seen it coming.
"For many of us in the social media world, it seems obvious that more aggressive communication tactics and broader warfare through trolling and memes is a necessary, inexpensive, and easy way to help destroy the appeal and morale of our common enemies," he said.
Original post:
Is America Prepared for Meme Warfare? - Motherboard
- Memetics - Wikipedia - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Mind - Wikipedia - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Spiral Dynamics - Wikipedia - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Whats in a Meme? - Richard Dawkins - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- What is a meme? What you need to know about the cultural phenomena - USA TODAY - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The Science fiction horror story that came true and we're living in now. - Daily Kos - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- What is Memetics? | Virtusa - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Memetics | Psychology Wiki | Fandom - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Memetics. Meme means copy. Bio means two. | by Ilexa Yardley | The ... - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Memes: What are They and Why They Are Important - July 9th, 2022 [July 9th, 2022]
- Antisemitism on the rise in America: An explainer and research roundup - Journalist's Resource - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- GameStop stock split: What you need to know - finder.com.au - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Darwin's Dangerous Idea - Wikipedia - March 27th, 2022 [March 27th, 2022]
- Francis Heylighen - Wikipedia - March 11th, 2022 [March 11th, 2022]
- Social Cohesion | Healthy People 2020 - March 11th, 2022 [March 11th, 2022]
- AMC Dips 4% Despite Strongest Earnings in 2 Years - The Tokenist - March 11th, 2022 [March 11th, 2022]
- The Rise of MemeCoins: Will They Survive 2022? - International Business Times - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- The Department Of Transportation Should Leave Advertising To The Kardashians - Above the Law - December 3rd, 2021 [December 3rd, 2021]
- Power of memes - The Manila Times - November 23rd, 2021 [November 23rd, 2021]
- An Interview With The World-Famous Artist Who Created The Internet's Favourite Fake Lineup Shot - Wavelength Magazine - November 21st, 2021 [November 21st, 2021]
- Meme sounds JAYUZUMI SOUNDBOARDS - November 11th, 2021 [November 11th, 2021]
- Hideo Kojimas The Creative Gene is a heartfelt tribute to pop culture - The A.V. Club - October 17th, 2021 [October 17th, 2021]
- TikTok memetics: Gen Z is reshaping the world, and fast - Geektime - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- meme | Definition, Meaning, History, & Facts | Britannica - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- MINDFULNESS | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Why Ethereum's Price Is Built on Firmer Ground Than Bitcoin - CoinDesk - CoinDesk - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Are Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey Working in Tandem to Spread BTC FUD? - The Tokenist - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- The pandemic dividend: The other two viruses we dont think about - Deccan Herald - December 30th, 2020 [December 30th, 2020]
- Army Of Contact-Tracing Workers Being Recruited To Help Combat Coronavirus Pandemic - CBS San Francisco - May 22nd, 2020 [May 22nd, 2020]
- Controlling the Narrative? - Church Militant - February 10th, 2020 [February 10th, 2020]
- Snow Crash TV Series Adaptation is Coming to HBO Max - Epicstream - December 22nd, 2019 [December 22nd, 2019]
- 'Snow Crash' TV Series in the Works at HBO Max - /FILM - December 18th, 2019 [December 18th, 2019]
- Book That Inspired Facebooks Chief VR Researcher And Coined Metaverse To Get HBO Series - UploadVR - December 18th, 2019 [December 18th, 2019]
- Celebrate the Arts at Blackout Black Friday - Memphis Flyer - November 30th, 2019 [November 30th, 2019]
- The Hi-Tech Traditionalist: From Samizdat To Memetics What Is Similar And What Is Different Between Soviet And American Dissidents - Tsarizm - November 15th, 2019 [November 15th, 2019]
- Who Elected Zuckerberg Head of the Thought Police? - The Real News Network - November 4th, 2019 [November 4th, 2019]
- Memes, memes everywhere | SunStar - Sun.Star - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- The matter with memes - The GUIDON - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]
- Keywords nolvadex - Can you buy nolvadex over the counter - The Santa Clara - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]
- Ajanta pharma kamagra soft tabs picture - Kamagra soft tablets - Filipino Express - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- Skin care specialist school - Does cialis require a prescription in usa - Bournville Village - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- Alt-Right? No, the Far Right. - Patheos (blog) - August 14th, 2017 [August 14th, 2017]
- Female viagra pills name - Buy female viagra online cheap - Bournville Village - August 9th, 2017 [August 9th, 2017]
- Red viagra - Viagra and red bull safe - Bournville Village - August 8th, 2017 [August 8th, 2017]
- The Most Influential Memes on the Internet - Fox Weekly - July 28th, 2017 [July 28th, 2017]
- The Pro-Trump Media Is Full Of Offensive Memes And Trolls, But Is It A Hate Group? - BuzzFeed News - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]
- Lasix g6pd deficiency - Salix lasix furosemide - The Village Reporter and the Hometown Huddle - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Dangers of drugs - Side effects of long term use of sodium valproate - The Village Reporter and the Hometown Huddle - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Internet Memes Are Changing The Way We Communicate IRL - HuffPost UK - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- The Meme-ing of Life - Aitkin Independent Age - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Memefacturing dissent! Breaking down the 'science' of memes in India - Mid-Day - July 1st, 2017 [July 1st, 2017]
- Meme-Gene Coevolution - Susan Blackmore - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Editorial: Circumspect, respect - Sun.Star - June 3rd, 2017 [June 3rd, 2017]
- Harambe one year on: How the gorilla became an internet meme - The Independent - May 28th, 2017 [May 28th, 2017]
- Here's one reason why people are fighting on planes so much - New York Post - May 18th, 2017 [May 18th, 2017]
- American Arrested After Airplane Brawl in Tokyo - NEWS.com.au - May 17th, 2017 [May 17th, 2017]
- Science explained: Viral memes for Boar reading teens - The Boar - May 17th, 2017 [May 17th, 2017]
- What Are Billbugs And How Do I Get Rid Of Them? | MeMetics - May 13th, 2017 [May 13th, 2017]
- TruthHawk - Memetics, Information, Society - May 2nd, 2017 [May 2nd, 2017]
- The Skeptical Zone | "I beseech you, in the bowels of ... - April 19th, 2017 [April 19th, 2017]
- Film: Ghost in the Shell - The Yale Herald - April 17th, 2017 [April 17th, 2017]
- Can NATO Weaponize Memes? - Foreign Policy (blog) - April 13th, 2017 [April 13th, 2017]
- Memes could be the key to predicting the future | Digit.in - Digit - April 7th, 2017 [April 7th, 2017]
- Memeology: Where did memes begin? - Dailyuw - March 29th, 2017 [March 29th, 2017]
- What is a Meme? | The Daily Meme - March 23rd, 2017 [March 23rd, 2017]
- Do Daniel C. Dennett's memes deserve to survive? - Spectator.co.uk - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- On Memetics and the Transfer of Cultural Information - Paste Magazine - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- The Meme Culture of America is Taking Over - TrendinTech - February 26th, 2017 [February 26th, 2017]
- Row erupts as East London gallery accused of showing 'alt-right' and 'racist' art - Art Newspaper - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- The scientific controversy behind memes - Varsity Online - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Thagomizer and Four Other Invented Words - Big Shiny Robot! - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cognitive science: Dennett rides again - Nature.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Mem Wikipedia - December 7th, 2016 [December 7th, 2016]
- Philosophy of Religion Religion and Memetics - November 23rd, 2016 [November 23rd, 2016]
- Memetics Story - November 23rd, 2016 [November 23rd, 2016]
- Applied Memetics LLC - Jobs - November 21st, 2016 [November 21st, 2016]
- Memetics - Chielens - November 16th, 2016 [November 16th, 2016]
- Meme - Wikipedia - October 19th, 2016 [October 19th, 2016]
- MeMetics - Your Trusted Online News and How-to Site - September 20th, 2016 [September 20th, 2016]
- Memetics and Infohazards Division Orientation - SCP Foundation - August 23rd, 2016 [August 23rd, 2016]