An exploration of how memes spread and decay, and how to avoid it.

1. DON’T JUMP THE
MEME SHARK
LLOYD JOHNSON

2. 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

3. VIZ:
Wikipedia, 2013

5. WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW ARTIFACTS OF
CULTURE ARE AT RISK OF IMPLODING BY LOOKING AT
HOW THEY SPREAD

6. DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION
A THEORY TO EXPLAIN HOW, WHY, AND HOW FAST
IDEAS SPREAD THROUGH CULTURE

7. ELEMENTS THAT INFLUENCE
DIFFUSION:
THE INNOVATION
COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS
TIME
THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
Wikipedia, 2013

8. AN INNOVATION’S STRAP ON
INFLECTION POINT THE SKIS
THE HOT
ZONE
Wikipedia, 2013

9. THE INTERNET HAS COMPRESSED THE SPEED AT
WHICH INNOVATIONS BOTH DIFFUSE AND DECAY

10. LATENCY = TIME BETWEEN ASKING A
COMPUTER FOR SOMETHING AND GETTING IT
Pcmag.com encyclopedia

11. CULTURAL LATENCY = THE TIME
INTERVAL BETWEEN THE BIRTH OF A UNIT OF CULTURE
AND YOUR NOTICING/USING/DISCARDING IT

12. “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

13. AS SHARING BECOMES MORE FRICTIONLESS,
NEW UNITS OF CULTURE DECAY EVEN MORE RAPIDLY

14. THE INTERNET MEME IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE
OF THE HYPER-SPEED OF TODAY’S CULTURAL LATENCY

15. THESE AREN’T YOUR
FATHER’S MEMES

16. “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

17. A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES

18. GIFS

19. ALTHOUGH THE GIF IS A PACKAGE TO DELIVER
CONTENT, IT HAS ITS OWN CULTURAL SUBSTANCE

20. GIFS AREN’T NEW, BUT HAVE LIVED IN THE
SHADOWS FOR A LONG TIME
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013

21. ...AND THEN TUMBLR HAPPENED
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013

22. BUT IS THIS WHAT’S DOING GIFS IN?
(FRAME-GRAB GIFS)
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013

23. OR IS IT THIS?

24. MORE APPS ARE BEING MADE IN RESPONSE TO THE
POPULARITY OF GIFS
BUT SOME GIF-INSPIRED APPS DON’T ACTUALLY
MAKE GIFS
“Inside the GIF-Industrial Complex,”newrepublic.com, Feb 19, 2013

25. THE HARLEM
SHAKE

26. “Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013

27. “Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013

28. WORLDWIDE SEARCH
PEAK: MARCH 2
Google Trends, Mar 13, 2013

29. WHY WAS IT SO CONTAGIOUS?
SHORT
EASY TO REPLICATE
CONSISTENT FORMAT
NETWORK STRENGTH OF EARLY OPINION LEADERS
“Harlem Shake: Tracking a Meme over a Month,” bbc.co.uk, Mar 1, 2013

30. THE PEOPLE GROW RESTLESS

31. BUT THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE GAG-METER

32. SUGGESTIONS TO KEEP THE
PARTY GOING WITHOUT
JUMPING THE MEME SHARK

34. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND ON THE INTERWEBS:
“THE SHARK IS THE STAR”
EMBRACE NEW TOOLS, BUT BE CONSISTENT
DON’T TRY TO MANUFACTURE STICKINESS --
FACILITATE IT
The Evolution of Shark Week, Pop Culture Leviathan,
theatlantic.com, Aug 13, 2012

35. @LLOYD2ND