I recently read an interesting article in the Popular Mehanics Magazine, December 2012. Not that I often read the Popular Mechanics or even have an interest in things mechanical or technical (usually) . . . so I am not sure why I was in fact even reading it. However, my interest was piqued at the words "memetics" and "meme" heading an article, because I had heard it used but did not know what it meant. According to Alan Rutter, the author of the article, the word "meme" is used to describe a "unit of culture" that is replicated or transmitted in the same manner as genes are. These are, in point form, some of the interesting facts I learned from the article:

·         The idea of a "meme" was introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book "The Selfish Gene" - since then others have explored the concept more fully

·         They are bits of information copied from one individual to another through copying or imitation

·         They can be global or local, mundane or profound

·         They can be ideas, behaviours or anything else that can be imitated

·         They can be good or bad, morality does not define a meme

·         Some meme's are copied over generations

·         They can be useful, but also need not be useful

·         The longevity or successful propagation of these memes can usually be put down to the fact that they allow us to live or live more comfortably

I hope this gives you a small understanding or grasp if what a meme is. Should you be interested in the full article which gives an explanation to the copied behaviour called "planking" please read the Popular Mechanics article.