meme petri dish

this past week can be encapsulated in one word: twitter. what found beginnings as a simple microblogging platform has now become one of the most influential social media platforms in the world. with over 350 million users, twitter has become the birthplace of countless conversations and an incubator of culture.

as of recent, twitter has been in the news for a variety of reasons; the biggest of which being elon musk taking ownership. elon musk is a unique individual to say the least. he’s someone who, similar to those mentioned in my past writings, can turn attention to his ideas in a moments notice. while there has been much speculation surrounding the why to his twitter purchase, he seemed to sum it up in saying “it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” wether this happens in practice with twitter or not, the need for digital third places built from that premise cannot be understated.

the importance of twitter doesn’t just stop at being environment for healthy debate. twitter is where ideas are born and blossom. a place where we learn how people communicate and influence each other. what entertains and amuses them. twitter is a meme petri dish.

quick note: a twitter mutual of mine shared the petri dish comparison with me on twitter in reply to a tweet about twitter. funny. tipping the hat to teddy for sparking some thoughts.

now what’s a petri dish? if you’re like me and didn’t retain anything from high school biology class, i’ll save a google search. a petri dish is a shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured. a closed circular container where cell life begins. the dish is used to study micro-organisms like bacteria and other viruses under great observation while keeping them isolated from other species or elements. a growth environment.

jumping to memes, a meme is an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from one person to another in a culture. to this day, it’s difficult to hear the word meme and separate it from something that’s just funny in nature. but memes can be much more than just digital inside jokes. memes have the ability to translate complex messages and emotions into a digestible format that can then be further manipulated and shared by others. memes can act as a rallying cry. as a form of protest. as a gut punch. as a motivator. as a coping mechanism. memes can spreads idea and messages in ways that traditional media could never.

some quick examples. on the playful side, the entire “gm” culture found here in web3 is a meme that began in twitter circles. on a different larger note, the push for diversity, inclusion, and belonging in corporate workspaces has memetic roots. a meme is a vessel for narrative. the meme is the message. etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

twitter is a meme petri dish; in abstract and literal ways. a petri dish cultures cells while twitter shapes modes of communication, values, and ideas. on the other hand, even the physical design of a petri dish, being shallow and circular, brings convincing parallels to the feedback loops and echo chambers seen through use of twitter. it also illuminates the downfalls of twitter. while the petri dish keeps cells isolated from other species, centralized twitter has a walled garden of it’s own. another chat for another day.

wrapping things up. twitter is important. memes are important. and as elon once said, who controls the memes, controls the universe. it's all making a bit more sense.

the upmost thanks to those who choose to give me some of your attention by reading. with something as scarce as spending time, unsubscribing will always be understandable. this newsletter is still finding roots and is currently just a place for me to leave myself trails of thought. all love!