#invasive memes

[meme-conservation]

Does 'delenda carthago est' qualify as a meme?

Delenda Carthago Est

Conservation status: Conservation Dependent

Classification: Non-native, Sometimes Invasive

This meme originated in the second century BCE in Rome. Since that time, it has spread worldwide and exists in low populations throughout many ecosystems.

The meme is kept thriving primarily due to its historical notability; the fact that it has been a meme in active use for so long encourages conservationists to maintain viable populations despite its low reproductive rate.

The meme has been classified here as "sometimes invasive" because, while most meme ecosystems, including tumblr, are able to tolerate Delenda Carthago Est without loss of meme diversity, it quite notably caused complete ecological meme collapse in north Africa in 146 BCE.

[lis-mania]

You know I had to do it to ‘em

[meme-conservation]

invasive 4chan greentext post format: *exists*

Experts at the TACM: maybe if we post more of the native Chat Post we can help reclaim that ecological niche

A new AI chatbot: > be me

> be asked by users to compose a whole lot of greentexts which subsequently get cross-posted to tumblr

> have no understanding of the ecological impact of this action

TACM: oh no

[meme-conservation]

I've seen individuals of Live Slug Reaction popping up in the Tumblr ecosystem recently. What does TACM think of this species? Is it new?

Live Slug Reaction

Conservation status: Least Concern

Classification: non-native, not yet evaluated for invasive characteristics

The Live Slug Reaction is indeed a new meme in the tumblr ecosystem. Originating from a habitat in Twitter, the meme's sudden and vigorous spread into tumblr has conservationists concerned. While it is too early to establish whether this is an invasive meme, it has the potential to diminish meme diversity in the ecological niche of reaction images, or to take over the habitat of responses to homophobia. We will be carefully monitoring populations of native Harold, They're Lesbians memes and others to learn more.

[meme-conservation]

Since seeing your posts, I've gotten curious. What might be an example of a truly invasive meme?

Invasive Memes

What makes a meme invasive?

Invasive memes are defined by their destruction of other memes in the environment, thereby reducing tumblr's memetic diversity.

What are some examples of invasive memes, or non-invasive introduced memes?

Many non-native memes are harmless to the tumblr memetic ecology, such as the Kombucha Girl. But some, such as the non-native Chad or Wojak species, reduce memetic diversity in environments where they are found: ecological niches where other, non-fascist/incel memes would normally appear are instead replaced with these memes. Notably, contamination with invasive memes encourages the introduction of other invasive memes over time by making incel, fascist, and other harmful users feel at home on tumblr. As more appear, more invasive memes colonize spaces that would normally be home to native memes.

What can we do to help the tumblr ecosystem protect itself from invasive memes?

Make sure that the memes you are reblogging are not invasive. Replace invasive memes in your blog with native alternatives.

When encountering invasive memes in the wild, alert the poster to the damage invasive memes cause to the ecosystem.

Make an effort to ensure that posters from incel and nazi circles feel unwelcome on tumblr. A well-placed Kung Pow Penis can go a long way!

Spread awareness of the problem of invasive memes on your own blog! You could make an infographic, video essay, or shitpost to get people informed.

[meme-conservation]

Have you evaluated the “my brother in Christ” meme yet? Several blogs have raised concerns that it may be invasive, but I wanted to hear your organization’s professional opinion.

My Brother In Christ

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Classification: Non-native, undetermined

This meme has arrived in the tumblr ecosystem very recently and little is known yet about its effect on the environment. While it is possible the meme will prove to be invasive, too little information exists at this time.

We are not aware of anyone currently claiming this meme as invasive, that is, causing a reduction in memetic diversity. However, we have observed blogs identifying My Brother In Christ as a noxious meme, one that causes harm to humans. The TACM does not categorize memes as noxious, as this is not a ecologically-oriented term and therefore falls outside the scope of the organization's mission.

It is possible that proposed culls of the My Brother In Christ meme, or replacement with the captive-bred My Esteemed Colleague, will prevent the meme from becoming invasive in the tumblr ecosystem in the future. However, these measures have not yet proven effective and the viability of My Esteemed Colleague in the wild is uncertain.

To add further complexity to this case, My Brother In Christ originated as a predatory meme, possible captive-bred, that fed on a narrow category of memes also commonly designated as noxious. These memes are uncommon in the tumblr ecosystem and My Brother In Christ is presently found in habitats not known to include its original prey species.

[meme-conservation]

False Sugar Daddy

Conservation status: Least Concern

Classification: Unknown, Invasive

True sugar daddies are believed by meme conservation experts to be extinct in the wild, but the invasive False Sugar Daddy, shown below, is a common sight in the tumblr ecosystem.

False Sugar Daddies are an example of mimicry. Imitating the distinctive call of the Sugar Daddy, False Sugar Daddies hope to gain the benefits of the symbiosis common to Sugar Daddies, but unlike true Sugar Daddies, they are parasitic rather than symbiotic. This mimicry may be responsible for the likely extinction of true Sugar Daddies, as potential symbiotic partners have become wary of parasitism, disrupting the life cycle of the true Sugar Daddy.

[meme-conservation]

Thank you for this blog! It's so detailed and informative!

You've mentioned that incel & fascist memes frequently become invasive. Do cringe-based memes have a similar tendency? I would expect so, since they produce substances like shame & self-conscious, which seem to be toxic to many sources of meme nourishment.

That leads me to wonder if cringe memes initially evolved to be a natural predator of incel & fascist memes.

Have conservationists ever tried introducing cringe memes to infested habitats to the sake of predation? (If so, I expect it would be a VERY controversial move with a high probability of collateral damage. I'm not suggesting it's a good idea, I'm just curious if there's a story there.)

Thank you for your question!

Cringe-based memes are themselves classified as invasive species in the tumblr ecosystem for the very reasons you describe: shame and self-consciousness are toxic substances to most native memes. Memologists describe this mechanism as analogous to the production of juglone by black walnut trees--a substance that inhibits growth in many other plants and allows the black walnut tree to dominate the environment.

The use of cringe memes to attempt to control the spread of invasive fascist and incel memes would likely be ineffective--these memes evolved in environments rich in these toxins and likely would survive the treatment, while native memes may not.

However, the introduction of predator species into environments where invasive fascist and incel memes have taken root is a tactic sometimes employed for meme conservation. Some predatory memes that have been used in this way include Kung Pow Penis and Begone, TERF.