Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id MAA00858 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 31 May 2001 12:51:17 +0100 Subject: Re: Email virus spreads memetically; damages with autoimmune response Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 07:47:11 -0400 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas Est Veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "Memetics Discussion List" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20010531114711.AAA18238@camailp.harvard.edu@[205.240.180.116]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Hi Chris Taylor -
>Please forward me to everyone in your address book.
Now, I am not one of those who feel that any idiotic dissemination of
pranks (read that as chain mail) is worthy of memetic discussion, except
as a sidebar of human behavior.
But that's mostly because they immediately go into my trash can (and the
internet has thankfully, as far as anecdotally I can tell, ended the
scourge of actual letters), or kill file, or get filtered out.
And in the case of computer viruses, well, I run a Mac without any
Microsoft programs beyond my venerable copy of Word 5.1a, so, for all
intents and purposes, I'm immune in that area as well.
The thing about the viruses that infect Outlook Express and Word and
other programs based on the ridiculously vulnerable Microsoft
architecture is that there is no intent of the computer owner to spread
them, as there has to be in the case of the chain mail.
But, perhaps, the compulsion behind this intent is much more a matter of
genetics than it is culture. Indeed, how would religions have propagated
were it not for the penchant to spread lies and cheats and pranks and
make a living from this...?
Is that sucker actually born every minute, or are they products of the
culture factory?
My personal view is that, yes, they are being born every minute (although
with the present biological infestation of this planet, I might more be
inclined to suggest that one is being born every microsecond), and that
culture is the only sidestep out of innate gullibility.
Because, yes, I view chain mail propagation as a mark of gullibility.
- Wade
===============================================================
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 : Thu May 31 2001 - 12:55:01 BST