No it’s really a very similar situation - meme was coined in 1976 (Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene) and was pretty widely known.
Internet memes were thus named because they are literally a subset of memes. So for people who know the wider meaning of the term it’s still got the same connotations. Calling internet memes “memes” isn’t problematic for us.
What’s happened to you is kind of like when people say “animal” but they’re only thinking of mammals. In most contexts the missing scope isn’t noticeable.
Which is understandable but going after someone for not knowing about the French revolution is a lot like going after someone for not knowing about meme theory.
No it’s really a very similar situation - meme was coined in 1976 (Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene) and was pretty widely known.
Internet memes were thus named because they are literally a subset of memes. So for people who know the wider meaning of the term it’s still got the same connotations. Calling internet memes “memes” isn’t problematic for us.
What’s happened to you is kind of like when people say “animal” but they’re only thinking of mammals. In most contexts the missing scope isn’t noticeable.
Which is understandable but going after someone for not knowing about the French revolution is a lot like going after someone for not knowing about meme theory.