Before the internet gave us images of cats with bad grammar, the word “meme” had a very different meaning. It was coined in 1976 by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book, The Selfish Gene.

Dawkins noticed that ideas, behaviors, and styles seemed to spread through a culture in a way that mirrored how genes spread through a population. He needed a word for these cultural replicators. He started with the Greek word mimeme, which means “imitated thing,” and shortened it to sound like “gene.” The meme was born.

Think of memes as cultural DNA. Just as genes carry biological instructions from parent to child, memes carry cultural information from mind to mind. They are the building blocks of culture, spreading through imitation, communication, and learning.

Long before any idea went viral online, memes were thriving. They are all around us, often hiding in plain sight. Nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” are classic examples. The simple tune and lyrics are easily remembered and passed from one generation to the next.

Other examples include:

• Fashion trends: The idea of wearing jeans started as a meme among laborers and spread to become a global staple.
• Catchphrases: Sayings that catch on and are repeated in conversation.
• Architectural styles: The idea of building a house with a front porch is a meme that defines entire neighborhoods.
• Recipes: A family recipe for apple pie is a meme passed down through generations.

Like genes, memes compete for survival. Not all ideas catch on. A successful meme is one that excels at getting itself copied. This is a form of cultural evolution.

What makes a meme successful? A few key traits:

• Fidelity: How accurately it can be copied.
• Fecundity: How many copies are made in a given time.
• Longevity: How long it sticks around.

A simple, catchy tune has high fidelity and fecundity. A complex philosophical idea might have lower fidelity, as it can be easily misinterpreted when passed along. Fashion trends might have high fecundity but low longevity, disappearing after a season. The most successful memes are the ones that balance these traits to spread far and wide, embedding themselves deep within our culture.

This foundational concept of memes as units of cultural inheritance is key. It helps explain how traditions, beliefs, and even simple habits can persist and evolve over time, shaping societies long before the first digital image was ever shared.