Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id SAA05954 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 13 Nov 2000 18:54:25 GMT Message-ID: <00c801c04da7$638df9e0$1521e7d8@proftim> From: "Tim Rhodes" <proftim@speakeasy.org> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: Re: addendum to mysticism etc. Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 11:24:40 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.2106.4 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Richard:
<<<Memes spread for many reasons. We tend to pay attention to "crisis"
memes. We believe ideas that fit easily into our existing mindset. We
trust our authorities. We believe memes that get repeated several times,
especially from multiple sources. "Truth" is not a strong selector for
memes.>>>
Vincent:
<<That may be true for audiences, but what about the producers of media
content? Why are they so persistent in misrepresenting risk to the
public?>>
Feedback loop.
The producer's job is to get and maintain market share (i.e.: audience).
Whatever tends to get more audience will tend to be selected for by the
producers. Whatever tends to push more buttons will tend to be selected
for by the audience. The result: a vicous circle of evolutionary
selection pressures that is only limited by the (ever changing) boundies
of that niche.
-Tim
===================
Tim Rhodes
memes@sil2k.org
Eyes, Ears & Memes, SIL2K
Strategic Improv Laboratories 2000
www.sil2k.org
===================
===============================================================
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
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Nov 13 2000 - 18:55:49 GMT