Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id KAA01002 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 5 May 2000 10:31:15 +0100 Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D31CEB140@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: New Scientist article on memetics Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 10:29:22 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Thanks for this,
Reading your excellent review, Gladwell seems to have hit on what is a
crucial element in memetics, and in one of my own pet subjects, media
effects- context. The importance of context is so dramatically ignored in
media effects research it is untrue, with researchers focusing entirely on
either the media content or the audience. A good example would be media
violence, where few researchers bother with the narrative context of media
violence and its relationship to broader memes about violence. Raymond
Williams some time ago incisively pointed out that only certain kinds of
violence are condemned- unauthorised violence, such as that by protestors or
criminals, rather than authorised violence, such as that committed by the
police or the armed forces. Susan Blackmore's book makes this point in
relation to religions which have tolerated, and even led to violence (the
Inquisition, Crusades, etc.), but which use the truth-trick to maintain
themselves.
The idea of a tipping point would seem to have very useful applications to
media studies in terms of media events. For example, why did the 1984
famine in Ethiopia generate the media coverage, and charity fund-raising
that it did, but other famines did not? This view gives us another way of
thinking about trying to answer that question.
Anyway, a nice piece that continues our own meme-driven quest to ensure that
memes, and memetics spread to as many brains as possible!
Yours,
Vincent Campbell
> ----------
> From: Paul marsden
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Friday, May 5, 2000 9:03 am
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: New Scientist article on memetics
>
> Hello all
>
> Just a note to say that there is an online version of my forthcoming (6
> May)
> discussion in the New Scientist of Malcolm Gladwell's new successful book
> -
> The Tipping Point - about Social Epidemics and viral ideas
>
> http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opinion_223726.html
>
> Although IMO there may be several shortcomings of the book - Gladwell
> successfully communicates a compelling memetic message without the
> techno-jargon some of us so love. Lessons to be learned? Comments anyone?
> ________________________________________________________________________
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>
> ===============================================================
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
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===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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