Quizzes vs memes

[avram]

Has anyone else here noticed people losing the distinction between those two forms of cookie-cutter LJ-ing, quizzes and memes?

Memes — inspired by a word coined by Richard Dawkins to describe a method by which ideas might spread and compete, allowing us to apply evolutionary thinking to cultural and cognitive processes — are, in the LJ context, sort of like school essay tests, a flexible idea that inspires you to do some creative writing. At least, that’s how I’ve always seen it. Sure, you’re picking up and spreading something, but you’re also adding a bit to it.

Quizzes are those things where you go to some page and fill out a form and get a CGI-generated response that you post in your journal to show people which sexual position you’d choose to sleep with your favorite anime pirate character’s secret zodiac totem animal.



You should be dating an Aquarius.
20 January - 18 February
Your mate is communicative, thoughtful and caring.
Though he/she can be tactless and rude and
sometimes self-interested, he/she enjoys the
intellectual experience of sex.


What Zodiac Sign Are You Attracted To?
brought to you by Quizilla

Comments

[camwyn]

I'd offer to fix you up with my Aquarian sister based entirely on the results of some random person's probably poorly-coded CGI numbershuffling on the topic of a pseudoscience that has little to nothing to do with genuine personality inventory, but she's married. Oh, woe.

Unexamined third

[gentlyepigrams]

I could hook you up with one of my exes, but aren't you straight? ;)

I think part of the problem is that there's now a third thing that generates weird results, like the LJ sitcom thing. It's not a meme by the "write something on this topic" definition, but it's not a quiz either. The fact that this third thing isn't really a quiz or a meme--probably "script toy" is closer than anything else--contributes to the use of the word "meme" for all three types of LJ mind virii.

[supergee.livejournal.com]

So what are lemmings--something else or a combined term for both?

Zodiac signs

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

I'm supposed to be with a Scorpio. I'm not sure I know any Scorpios.