Are memes social engineering?

[The Plague]

"Social engineering is an attack vector that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people into breaking normal security procedures."

Do you like posting stuff you don't believe just to see how people react to it?

There is a really big issue in today's society considering how many people have easy access nowadays to the internet, and how easily some manage to be misled by their own naive and ingenuity, it provides an atmosphere where the same person could be your best friend, and also your worst enemy at the same time. The shroud of anonymity paired with political agendas, can be brew into something really dangerous. There is some people who genuinely believe everything that is being typed or shown at first when they see this nexus of knowledge.

Memes.

Oh yes, I am unironically talking about memes, jokes, images, just an idea that easily spreads within the internet like wildfire on a dry forest.
You need to be blind to not notice the patterns, people with certain political agendas make some of these internet funny jokes with darker intentions, aimed directly to mock some ideas, and if everyone finds the same idea "funny" wouldn't you agree it would make it easier to basically breed echo-chambers within the internet? Not all websites allow for discussion of some topics specially if they go against their ideas. Of course not all of these innocent images are being manipulated to be used within these echo-chambers, but there is ones that are being made specifically by them, specially those with a political agenda behind it. There is a lot of awful ones, I am sure anybody with a facebook has seen some really dumb shit for any topic, from political candidates on both spectrums to just smaller issues in general.

I know some of you think this is just funposting, and hear the monsoon fight OST already, but you can't deny the possibility of younger people just trying to fit in just following whatever politically incorrect meme they find just to fit in.

[Independent voter]

If people were rarely exposed to memes maybe, but nowadays when you're deluged with memes constantly I can't see them having much of an effect, maybe if it's a really, really good meme.

There were memes pre internet too that were really effective because memes were rare then, but I can't think of any at the moment.

[Deleted]

Any form of communication can be part of a marketing or propaganda campaign, memes are no different.

[Deleted]

Memes are just stupid. I'm glad that I completely avoided them when they became popular.

[Techno-Druid]

Always liked this meme.


Courage Wolf

[Gamdwelf]

Milhouse is the best maymay

[Yunru]

Memes make internet less boring. (80% of them are BAD tho)

The oldest one i can think of is a trollface and rick roll.

[Calfredd]

Are we talking about "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture". A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures"?

[Powerogue]

I've never really noticed any pattern with memes having some sort of political agenda. You might be thinking of political cartoons.

[dir]

Yes. But pretty much everything is social engineering these days. #Like this post if you agree.

[Kuntantee]

Memes are stupid? 2Edgy4Mainstream? Memes are creative and funny. As in all things involving creativity, not all are good but some are simply brilliant. The answer to your question is no.

[Hotto Pantsu]

Any form of communication can be part of a marketing or propaganda campaign, memes are no different.

Seen plenty of memes that try to spread propaganda. It's usually few sentences acting as a quote and then there's some name under it. Usually semi-famous name or sometimes totally unknown name but with "respectable" title, like doctor/researcher/etc. This then fools majority of ppl to take the meme as 100% true even when anyone with a half a brain could google it and find it to be utter crap.

[Revi]

It's nothing new. Catchphrases, slogans and things that rhyme have always convinced people way more than the exact same information presented in a more "boring" format or phrasing.

If you reach the right demographics, the ones that are part of a "group" where this particular information would seem fun, cool or affirming of their beliefs, it'll stick for a lot of them. No sourcing needed.

[GennGreymane]

They went from being clever/dumb/stupid to being the modern political poster

Gone are the days of Uncle Sam posters, long live the new guard of memes!

[Detritivores]

I do think there is an epidemic of misleading or flat out untrue memes floating around, especially political memes. There seems to be a tendency to take any meme or graphic at face value. Most famous example I can think of recently was Trump re-tweeting imaginary homicide statistics. I also come across a lot of misleading "socialism" memes if I ever drink enough to accidentally log in to facebook. There are definitely folks using their meme powers for evil out there.

[Very Tired]

Why won't you die?!?

Nanomemes, son.


I know Metal Gear was really getting into the whole memes thing as a deep philosophy point, but I have a feeling no one really take it seriously simply because it the name. But Senator Armstrong was the best boss ever.

[Theodarzna]

Do you like posting stuff you don't believe just to see how people react to it?

Yes, for example I slighted intellectuals; even though I am one and have no belief in what I posted there. But I wanted to make an exercise of it.

[Kourvith]

Memes make internet less boring. (80% of them are BAD tho)

The oldest one i can think of is a trollface and rick roll.

About rickroll, I was wondering the other day where it was born, and practically sure it was on WoW official forums. I recall reading a thread where one of the first rickrolls was posted, and some posters suggested a name for it, which finally built into "rickroll". Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure a ton of dialogue memes are born in WoW forums. (it's one of the most popular places after all)

edit : knowyourmeme seems to confirm this, being born on /v at practically the same time :

According to 4chan founder m00t, the “Rickroll” phenomenon began on /v/ (videogame board) circa May 2007[2], when someone posted a link to Rick Astley’s music video disguised as a sneak preview for the then newly released videogame Grand Theft Auto IV.

edit 2 : firstworldproblems xD