Meme theory in journalism
Really interested in how this meme is spreading to journalists, and how it might bounce back to the public.
Image from Complicating the Narratives by Amanda Ripley
Journalists are reacting to the current political polarization in new and creative ways. We might see some novel messaging emerging from the political landscape if they apply the science of divorce to create greater peace and stability in the way they carry memes to and from the public.
What is meme theory?
So meme theory is the concept that ideas have a natural selection. For example, a religion that forbids sex has less survivability than a religion that forbids birth control for the simple logic that one produces more adherents. (In meme theory ideas can be inherited, transmitted, etc.)
I’m very curious about how beneficial ideas transmit across disciplines. There is an interesting scientific meme moving around the world and I'm very curious about how it's mutating.
An interdisciplinary meme
Most people know I am a rabid fan of John Gottman's scientific evaluations of marriage in the Seattle-based Love Lab. With his methods, he can predict divorce with 93.6% accuracy within 5 years. He can also transmit ideas that work to stabilize a marriage — and he has adapted these behaviors to other types of close human relationships.
So Columbia conflict-resolution researchers took Gottman's meme and applied it to dispute resolutions in the Difficult Conversations Lab. But now journalists have sunk their teeth into it — and they want to transmit it to the public.
Can journalists use the science of divorce to craft a more peaceful society?
Journalism and meme theory
This phenomenal article by Amanda Ripley would suggest they can. Perhaps journalists have allowed themselves to reflect cognitive conflicts under the simplistic theory that outrage sells when we know that humans are also driven by curiosity.
I’m really curious about the idea of peace. In our close relationships, our workplaces, and our geopolitical actions. If the world can no longer sustain a war, how do we preserve peace? What are those skillsets and if they are new, where are they being developed? What technology can we use to promote them?
It seems like I found some answers,
#journalism #memetheory #lovelab #marriage #mediation #todreamalife #relationships #divorce #conflict resolution #communication
