From: Vincent Campbell (VCampbell@dmu.ac.uk)
Date: Wed 07 May 2003 - 10:31:21 GMT
Hi,
Just to suggest a memetics link to groupthink, another important part of
organisational communication (in which the groupthink idea is quite
important) is the concept of the weak tie, which brings in network theory,
and takes us back to people like Malcom Gladwell and his 'tipping point' and
others.
As well as searching for the possible sites of memes in the brain, as some
obviously would argue we need to do, this kind of work offers us theoretical
models for the spread of memes through a community, which I guess would take
us back to places like Everett Rogers 'Diffusion of Innovations' stuff,
Cavalli-sforza's cultural traits stuff, and- dare I say it?- back to Aaron
Lynch's views on an epidemiology of ideas, which in turn takes us back to
the person to person meme transmission question.
Anyway, one of the points about groupthink is that in allows for meme
transmission, without necessarily belief transmission. The Man Utd fan
sitting in a London pub may give way to overwhelming numbers of Arsenal fans
on the issue of which is the best footballl team in England, and appear to
agree with them.
Vincent
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