Amherst College's Paul Ewald studies the evolution of diseases and thinks of memes as a metaphor or tool of explanation. Ewald argues that, for the most part, individuals steer clear of culture's harmful memes, like addiction, and instead select more beneficent ones to hand down. Since Dawkins' first proposal, memetic theory has been widely applied. To bolster creativity, get people talking across your organization. We've entered a new landscape of learning.
Ideas flash around the globe faster than ever.
That should mean more new ideas than ever. A catchy idea will tear through a population, especially if that population hasn't seen anything like it before. The Internet is a new world. New creatures have hatched. Now, selective pressures like the need for profitability are bearing down.