Determination of meme proliferation factors

Abstract

The ubiquity of the Internet has become part of everyday life. The Intenet allows for the searching of information on topics that are relevant at that particular time. The possession of valuable information by members of a network improves the worth of such members and subsequently increases their influence. Memes refer to pieces of information or message that replicate. Social networking sites on the Internet provide an ideal platform to propagate messages as groups of like-minded people connect with one another and communicate ideas. Messages pertaining to popular, trending or controversial topics become memes on social networking platforms. The design of memes serving as narratives has the potential to create disinformation or create a revolution as in the case of the Arab Spring. Narratives are the use of stories to influence behaviour. Messages could be created for nefarious purposes and if these messages become memes, these malicious messages can replicate at a rapid rate and potentially influence behaviour and action in a negative manner. The converse is also true a positive change could be attained though the propagation of memes designed for that specific outcome. It is essential to understand what factors are required to effectively disseminate memes within a narrative network with the goal to transform behaviour of the members in the social network. As the majority of Internet users indiscriminately trust the content encapsulated within the information highway, a threat exists in which entities with power could influence society. This paper addresses factors that could increase the proliferation of memes within cyber space. A framework is proposed of high-level factors that can be used in the design of a meme so as to increase its proliferation. Thereafter, the paper presents an experiment whereby these proliferation factors were investigated. Overall, the goal of the paper is to demonstrate how messages can be designed to proliferate and potentially influence individuals.