--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An Internet meme is a hijacking of the…" description: "\"An Internet meme is a hijacking of the original idea. Instead of mutating by random change and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, Internet mem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/richard-dawkins-115_accuracy_an-internet-meme-is-a-hijacking-of-the-o_2421567.jpg" --- # An Internet meme is a hijacking of the original idea… ![“An Internet meme is a hijacking of the original idea. Instead of mutating by random change and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, Internet memes are altered deliberately by human creativity. There is no attempt at accuracy of copying, as with genes - and as with memes in their original…” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/richard-dawkins-115_accuracy_an-internet-meme-is-a-hijacking-of-the-o_2421567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/richard-dawkins-115_accuracy_an-internet-meme-is-a-hijacking-of-the-o_2421567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/richard-dawkins-115_accuracy_an-internet-meme-is-a-hijacking-of-the-o_2421567.jpg) > “An Internet meme is a hijacking of the original idea. Instead of mutating by random change and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, Internet memes are altered deliberately by human creativity. There is no attempt at accuracy of copying, as with genes - and as with memes in their original version.” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Internet memes are deliberately altered by humans, unlike natural memes that evolve randomly through selection. **In simple terms:** Internet memes are human‑crafted, not naturally evolved. Key Takeaway Recognize the creative agency behind digital culture. Themes creativity digital culture information spread Mood analytical cautious Type educational critical When to use this quote - social media marketing - educational content - viral campaigns - cultural commentary Key Concepts meme theory human innovation Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do creators have? - How can audiences discern intentional changes? A Different Perspective Deliberate alteration can spread misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accuracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Meme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meme/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s an internet meme,” I said, matter-of-factly. “I’d tell you to Google it, but you’ve only got about five minutes to live and you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-crane/it-s-an-internet-meme-i-said-matter-of-factly-i-d-tell-you-to-google/) [Robert J. Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-crane/) > [Any time you try to create an Internet meme, automatic fail. That's like the worst thing you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/any-time-you-try-to-create-an-internet-meme-automatic-fail-that-s/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [You get hooked on it: 'I want, I want, I want, I need, I need,' and you can't hear or see anything. The reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/you-get-hooked-on-it-i-want-i-want-i-want-i-need-i-need-and-you-can-t/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Remember back in the day when Internet memes were funny? I miss those days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-back-in-the-day-when-internet-memes-were-funny-i-miss-those/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Time and again, my sociobiological colleagues have upbraided me as a turncoat, because I will not agree with them that the ultimate criterion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/time-and-again-my-sociobiological-colleagues-have-upbraided-me-as-a/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/god-exists-if-only-in-the-form-of-a-meme-with-high-survival-value-or/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/examples-of-memes-are-tunes-ideas-catch-phrases-clothes-fashions-ways/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The meme for blind faith secures its own perpetuation by the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational inquiry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-meme-for-blind-faith-secures-its-own-perpetuation-by-the-simple/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I became a little alarmed at the number of my readers who took the meme more positively as a theory of human culture in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-became-a-little-alarmed-at-the-number-of-my-readers-who-took-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [In the original introduction to the word meme in the last chapter of 'The Selfish Gene,' I did actually use the metaphor of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-the-original-introduction-to-the-word-meme-in-the-last-chapter-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Nothing is more lethal for certain kinds of meme than a tendency to look for evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/nothing-is-more-lethal-for-certain-kinds-of-meme-than-a-tendency-to/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I am so happy to be a meme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-malhotra/i-am-so-happy-to-be-a-meme/) [Sanya Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-malhotra/) > [“The idea that memes exist is a meme meme. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wise/the-idea-that-memes-exist-is-a-meme-meme/) Steven Wise > [I run a meme type of account on Twitter; I know what my audience is looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-nas-x/i-run-a-meme-type-of-account-on-twitter-i-know-what-my-audience-is/) [Lil Nas X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-nas-x/) > [ We're \[also\] trying to talk to a generation who grew up on the Internet. They're digital natives, and, essentially, they speak through sequential storytelling.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/we-re-also-trying-to-talk-to-a-generation-who-grew-up-on-the-internet/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More Accuracy quotes > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. 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In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Lawyers tend to be bright people. They tend to be-much more than many journalists I've encountered-sticklers for detail and accuracy, and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/lawyers-tend-to-be-bright-people-they-tend-to-be-much-more-than-many/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [There's a simplicity in typography that demands absolute accuracy... the only way you can experience it is by doing it, and you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-maag/there-s-a-simplicity-in-typography-that-demands-absolute-accuracy-the/) Bruno Maag > [“The only thing that words can do with any real precision or accuracy is hang together. Accuracy of description in language is not possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-only-thing-that-words-can-do-with-any-real-precision-or-accuracy/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [Am I accurately reporting what I see in such a blossom? The answer is no ... and yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/am-i-accurately-reporting-what-i-see-in-such-a-blossom-the-answer-is/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [Only by being suspended aloft, by dangling my mind in the heavens and mingling my rare thought with the ethereal air, could I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/only-by-being-suspended-aloft-by-dangling-my-mind-in-the-heavens-and/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [Without much accuracy, with strangely little love at all, your family will decide for you exactly who you are, and they'll keep nudging, coaxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/without-much-accuracy-with-strangely-little-love-at-all-your-family/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [The federal government is starting to plan for climate change by making extended forecasts that can help people plan for extreme weather - because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/the-federal-government-is-starting-to-plan-for-climate-change-by/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The state of empathy, or being empathic, is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-state-of-empathy-or-being-empathic-is-to-perceive-the-internal/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [What we have learned is that Roland-Jones is a very promising prospect. Because of the way he bowls, he will not blow batsmen away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/what-we-have-learned-is-that-roland-jones-is-a-very-promising/) [Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/) [Browse all 388 Accuracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An Internet meme is a hijacking of the original idea. Instead of mutating by random change and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, Internet memes are altered deliberately by human creativity. 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