Your enjoyment of Grumpy Cat is backed up by science.
In 1976, biologist Richard Dawkins published "The Selfish Gene," a revolutionary book that put forward a new theory of genes and their role in evolution.
In it, he introduced the idea of a “meme” — a cultural unit that replicates and changes in much the same way humans evolve.
Dawkins even talked about the concept of something “going viral,” comparing the spread of a meme to the spread of a virus.
Although Internet memes are created and then spread intentionally, rather than spreading by chance, they still follow most of the characteristics of Dawkins’ cultural units in his original analogy.
Biologists have long studied the tendency of humans to mimic, copy and learn from imitation. While copying someone or something is considered inappropriate in certain circumstances, other times it is encouraged.
Our society generally embraces the concept of shared experience. We want to be part of a nation, a team and a group. We want to be in on the joke.
Internet memes help humans achieve these goals. Even if they may tackle trivial subject matter, they offer a window into the zeitgeist. For instance, the left shark of the super bowl halftime show gives us water cooler chatter, an icebreaker or a jumping off point for conversation.
Facebook, Twitter, Yik Yak and other social media have all capitalized on the increasing need for social interaction in cyberspace. Memes also rely on this phenomenon, as well as the need of this generation to express emotions in short posts, limited characters and tiny pictures.
How else to explain the popularity of BuzzFeed, which relies on animals, Harry Potter and Mean Girls to describe everyday life? Or Tosh.0, which mocks viral videos but also relies on them as a source of inspiration.
Critics complain that memes are unoriginal. Some are — slapping pithy text on stock photos isn’t necessarily the best example of creativity. However, the lampooning of a universal concept is the essence of comedy, satire and social criticism and memes tap into all of these veins.
Memes can generate a whole range of emotions, like empathy, sympathy, disgust, laughter, etc. They can start debates about education (Miss Teen South Carolina), religion (Tebowing), the media (Leave Britney Alone), drugs (Charlie Sheen’s “Winning”) or whatever hot-button topic you can think of.
They don’t always have to be a stock photo that’s ruthlessly mocked (College Freshman). The 2012 election was dominated by memes, most of them mocking Mitt Romney. They can even be social satire (Overly Attached Girlfriend, Overly Manly Man, Successful Black Man).
A scientific phenomenon, memes have a well-defined place in our lives that serves a purpose. They offer a shared human experience — plus, a lot of them are pretty funny.