The word meme was first coined in 1976 by British scientist Richard Dawkins, in his bestselling book, The Selfish Gene. The book tackles a discussion of evolutionary principles, and introduces the concept of a meme in connection with the spread of cultural phenomena. In this original sense, meme refers to any unit of cultural information: ideas, behaviour, language etc, which spreads from one person to another in the real world, typically through simple verbal communication. Examples of memes given in the book include musical melodies, catchphrases, fashion and religious beliefs.

The word meme was first coined in 1976 by British scientist Richard Dawkins, in his bestselling book, The Selfish Gene. The book tackles a discussion of evolutionary principles, and introduces the concept of a meme in connection with the spread of cultural phenomena. In this original sense, meme refers to any unit of cultural information: ideas, behaviour, language etc, which spreads from one person to another in the real world, typically through simple verbal communication. Examples of memes given in the book include musical melodies, catchphrases, fashion and religious beliefs.