Sunday, June 19, 2005
~Ooooh....I see....~
After so many memes being passed around the blogosphere, I finally learn the true definition of it after watching Big Brother (BB) today.
Call me slow, call me vocabulary challenged but it took me to realise the meaning of meme only after hearing a language/character analyst explain it. Basically, it's a information that is replicated and passed from mind to mind, causing it to propagate.
It's interesting isn't it? Well, I find it so. 'Cos most of the time, something becomes a meme unconsciously. Most of the time, we don't realise we are propagating it and had made it a meme!
The example used in BB was the phrase "at the end of the day". It was used over 200 times within 24 days! And it was interesting to see that one guy used it on the first day and subsequently, everyone in the house had used it at least once. They were just repeating those words subconsciously!
The analyst gave some theories about memes. He said that memes usually give a big effect and that's why people pay attention to it and catch on to it. For example like the phrase "at the end of the day", it gives a feeling of conclusion. It's like saying, "Ok, listen up. This is the important point" and you're basically putting what you are gonna say after that into a bold box.
I do agree with him. I also have some thoughts myself. I think in order for something to be a catch-phrase and end up being a meme, it must not be too personalised. In that I mean, the phrase must be simple and something that everyone can use. If you make it too fanciful or too personalised, when someone else says it, everyone will know that he copied you straight away. You get what I mean?
It does not have to mean much as well! As long as the person you used it on understands what you are trying to say. Like "at the end of the day", what does it exactly means. Or an expression like "wah lao", "abudden" or "duh". No exact meaning is there? But almost everyone uses it and understands it!
Or it can have lots of meanings but when used in different situation it would mean different thing. For example, "oic". It can mean ok, alright, uh huh, i understand or can be used when you have nothing to say but want to say something.
I guess this is how slang comes about huh?
Well, at the end of the day, I guess when you hang around with a bunch of people you do repeat and start to talk like them unknowingly. Don't you think so? *grinz*
I penned @ 11:42 pm
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