Researchers at Facebook, for example, showed in a 2014 study just how widely science memes posted on the social media site can spread and evolve. In one example, they found 121,605 different variants of one particular meme posted across 1.14 million status updates.
Memes tap into our collective consciousness and have been referred to as digital folklore – or “Netlore.” “We can see not just the new ways people do things or the new ways people express themselves in public but also some of the themes, some of the anxieties or desires people have. All of these complex issues are reflected in things like memes,” says Gerbaudo.
So if the scientific community really is stagnant in the way it communicates, isn't an intuitive and quick-spreading format of science memes exactly what could remedy the problem?
If you agree with us, continue checking out the awesome “Science Memes” Facebook group finds we still have on this list!
