Void Meme

Void-Meme is an information with a semantic gap, that creates a strong desire to fill it.

Void-memes are the open questions. In our case, this is the great unknown laying outside the deterministic world. Being completely indefinite, it, like the Rorschach stains, draws the most daring assumptions from your imagination, trying to fill the void of uncertainty. When your assumptions are optimistic, it creates a release of dopamine and motivates you, increasing your curiosity.

And since energy is expended in the search for truth, the mind seeks confirmation of its expectations and pays attention to anything even slightly unusual, which increases your impressionability. In this way, the ability to notice anomalies is greatly increased, and any anomalies that are noticed form new attention filters, which, due to the Baader-meinhof effect, make it possible to notice new types of things. This changes your very vision of the surrounding world, thus completing the creation of a new reality-tunnel.

## Theory

Void memes is ones built with the participation of semantic voidness. Such memes, as a rule, attract attention to themselves with hidden innuendo, the absence of the part of the semantic content in their structure that the mind seeks to fill.

Meme exploits the desire of the mind for holistic knowledge, pushing it to search for the missing fragments of this knowledge, which makes such memes able to control the attention of a person, prompting him to follow informational routes that were designed and sometimes create completely new content in an attempt to fill the information gap.

The most important feature of Void memes is their special motivation control mechanism, through which they draw attention to themselves. The ability of Void memes to induce motivation is almost limitless. At the meta-level, this mechanism modifies the question-action-response cycle so that the question remains open as long as possible, and the intended answer to it seems as attractive as possible.

The semantic part of a Void meme usually contains a certain information gap, a demonstrative incompleteness, and the interpretation of this construct always gives the impression that this gap can be filled, and the missing information can be found by delving into the corresponding memeplex or performing other actions aimed at obtaining the missing information. The result of the perception of such pattern is always an open question.

In case when the required information exists, but is scattered within the memeplex, the carrier will have to make some effort and get an answer or another piece of it, enticing the carrier to absorb even more of the components of the memlex in order to put the puzzle together. In this case, the carrier will perceive the information less critically, as he has spent an effort to obtain it and wants to believe that it was not in vain.

At the same time, the longer the information remains inaccessible, the more consciousness tries to imagine what it could be. And the less we know about the missing piece of knowledge, the higher the expectations will be. The mind draws fantastic pictures in the imagination that triggers the reward system and provokes the production of dopamine, which is responsible for motivation. If the required information does not exist at all, the process can continue indefinitely until the carrier or group of carriers comes up with a reasonably convincing version that becomes generally accepted. Sometimes from such theories around the missing content of the void meme grows a whole new memplex.

In other words, the meme creates motivation from overstated expectations, which are the higher, the less we know about the missing information, and the need to justify the efforts spent on its search reduces the criticality of perception and skepticism. This contributes both to the assimilation of all the components of the memeplex and its distribution.

In the case when information is unavailable for a long time or does not exist, the motivation for its search becomes so high that the mind directs increased attention to everything that can somehow fill the void or confirm the invented hypotheses. This condition resembles the Ganzfeld effect, when sensory deprivation produces hallucinatory images. In this case, the mind tries to notice things that are usually ignored and look for patterns of connections between them, as well as extracting meaning from the associative rows or areas of the unconscious that sometimes creates a rather mystical perception of reality.

## Examples and classification of void memes.

The classic example of a void meme is the notion of “Sepulki” from the books of S. Lem. When trying to find out the meaning of this word in the dictionary, the protagonist found only references to other words that referred to the word Sepulki, but everyone around used this word and the inability to figure out its meaning became practically the main plot quest of the protagonist.

The same properties are possessed by words disguised as hapax legomenon, that is, a word that is found in a language so rarely that its meaning is problematic to establish. Such a meme can be put into use by means of artificial propagation and can be a word that means nothing, but is confidently used in some indefinite context.

The practical significance of such memes is that at any time you can create a page in the network with its definition and it will have one hundred percent relevance in the search results and all users interested in it are guaranteed to get on this page.

However, with a long walk of such a term without a definition, it can acquire meaning on its own.

Also to this type of void memes can be attributed "Voynich's Manuscript", which is something like a large hapax legomenon and arousing in people an irresistible need to decipher it.

It also follows from the above that any item on which there is little information on the network can perform a similar function, even if there is no semantic emptiness in it. It is enough to create your own materials with its description, supplemented or distorted in a certain way, and then draw attention to this subject. Due to the small number of sources of information available, it will be taken on faith by the majority of those interested.

One of the experiments illustrating the properties of void memagents was conducted by a group of researchers who named the local meme they created [redacted]. The essence of the experiment was that this group was actively spreading a certain symbol in a single territory, which had no meaningful content. The authors of the meme point out that soon, the people who observed the symbol first showed interest, and later began to paint the symbol themselves on the walls. Thus, the viral nature of the meme was shown in its pure form. On the further development of the experiment from the authors have not been reported.

Another valuable type of void memes is MacGuffin (MacGuffin). McGuffin is something that really does not exist, but which creates the illusion of extraordinary value. It is the the ultimate goal of the quest. Usually used as a plot element in cinema, as well as in ARG. Non-existent objects, books, films, death files, etc. may be McGuffin. A distinctive feature of such memes is that they provoke people to search for the object that they personify, although there is no evidence that this object exists, and sometimes even an understanding of why it is needed. The practical application of McGuffins is to draw attention to certain topics, as well as to generate interest around the content that is planned to be published in the future.

## Classification

Void memes can be divided into three basic groups according to their structure, the nature of the void mem-agents and the method of its use:

**Quasi-empty** - memeplexes, in which information is redistributed in such a way that the first meme received by the carrier contains an information gap, but in total there is no such gap in the memeplex. That is, the assimilation of the entire memlex will fully answer the question it has induced. Such a memeplex supports understatement, until it is fully integrated into the memory of the carrier.

**True Void** - memeplexes or individual memes with a missing piece of information that does not exist completely and which cannot be objectively replenished. Such memeplexes remain incomplete throughout lifetime and use it to motivate the carrier to develop and distribute memeplex.

**Void-active** - may not contain semantic gap at all, but create it when interacting with other information or at the time of interpretation. Such memeplexes are generally toxic to other memeplexes or autotoxic. In the first case, the memeplex destroys the information of another memeplex, making it a void-meme and thus attracting attention to itself. In the second case, the meme destroys itself and deliberately reduces its population, drawing much attention to this process and thus making its limited circulation very desirable for the curious.

For convenience of research, the following classification of empty memes is proposed:

#### Quasi-empty:

**˚ Class A (Ambivalent)** – An object, phenomenon, word, or image with an obscure or dual property / value that prompts to clarify or think out the meaning. Emptiness attracts attention, but is easily filled by the associated element of the memplex. Examples are euphemisms, the use of words in an uncharacteristic meaning, incorrect translation of words. The void area is the meaning of the message.

**˚ Class B (Broken)** –Intentionally fragmented information for the purpose of references to sources. When searching for the missing piece of information in memeplex, the carrier will find only its fragments, which are also void-memes that attracting attention to the following fragments. However, having collected them all, the carrier will receive holistic knowledge.

Examples of use are ARG, numbered diary pages or audio chronicles in literature and computer games. Void area - the amount of information, indication of the incompleteness of the message.

**˚ Class C (Coded)** – Hidden or encrypted information of a specific, understandable purpose. Information cannot be interpreted without additional memeplex components. Attracts attention by inaccessibility. The subjective importance of information increases due to the effort expended.

Examples are encrypted messages, text in a foreign language. The void area is a way to encode a message.

#### True Void:

**˚ Class D (Delirium)** – Words or images denoting a non-existent object, and provoking certain associative images or reflex actions.

A special case is McGuffin, empty images, provoking the desire to possess them. Often the lack of information about the object is accompanied by meta-information about its high value. The area of voidness - the reliability of the message, the existence of an object that is described by the information.

**˚ Class E (Empty)** - Information in the form of images, symbols or any other representation with missing content (lack of meaning), creating the illusion of importance, the presence of content contextually, associatively or by the fact of its existence.

This may include hapax legomenon, “Sepulki”, non-existent words, Rorschach stains, and any other symbols and data arrays, the meaning of which is missing or can not be determined. The void area is both the object being described and the coding method However, there is no meta information about the language, the origin of the data, etc.

**˚ Class F (Frightening)** - Information causing the illusion of associative connection with some object or phenomenon, or unconsciously prompting to a specific action, in other words - causing an unconscious reaction or emotional states. Often has an implicit signal to which the carrier responds unconsciously.

Examples are patterns that evoke a sense of de ja vu, irrational horror; compulsions; foreboding; personal superstitions. The area of voidness is the method, the reason for the appearance, the nature of the connection between the object and the reaction / association caused by it.

#### Void-Active:

**˚ Class G (Gate)** - Abstractions, creating an illusion of associative connection with an imaginary object, the nature and meaning of which doesn't exist and no information can be obtained. Conventionally, we can talk about the ability of information about the object to self-absorption, which makes this type of memes void-active. By its very definition, such abstractions destroy any information about themselves, create a void memagent at the meta level during interpretation.

Examples are abstract concepts that imply the impossibility of meaningful description, such as Transcendence, Nagual, Singularity, etc. The area of ​​voidness is the possibility of describing, semantic mapping of the object itself, with the potential possibility of obtaining meta-information about the experience of interacting with it.

**˚ Class H (Hypnotic)** - Information whose interaction destroys or distorts information about the properties or nature of the associated object. Neginformation. In effect, it attacks other memeplexes in order to create areas of voidness that attracts attention.

An example is conspiracy theories that reject elements of knowledge about something and leave the unknown in their place; parasitic memes that distract attention by diminishing the importance of related information; information that blocks memories, provoking the destruction of not only itself, but also related information; Hypnotic suggestion; false memories. Void area - Undetermined, limited to the recipient’s own knowledge.

**˚ Class I (Infected)** - The data, reproduction of which provoking the destruction of information, or the carrier on which its displayed. It can use both the vulnerabilities of the mechanics of its reproduction and provoking an attack from other memeplexes. For example, content with the signs of an illegal can provoke the elimination of the entire site on which it is located. The news about this will contain a void-agent in the form of the absence of the destroyed content itself, which will necessarily provoke curiosity and increased attention to it.

Examples are “death files”, computer viruses, psychotronic weapons, legally prohibited content. Void area - The content itself, referred to in side information about it.

**˚ Class J (Joker)** – Data that cannot be saved physically due to its quantum nature for reasons of its destruction when interacting with an observer, active damage to the physical carrier after a short time. It may manifest as information that is accessible to perception only at an unconscious level.

These include quantum superposition, paradoxical artifacts, objects from alternative branches of reality and timelines, and other anomalies, the existence of information about which is paradoxical and not energetically beneficial at the level of quantum physics. Void Area - Undefined, unlimited.

Let’s examine in more detail:

According to Brodie’s definition: “Meme is a unit of information in consciousness, whose existence influences events in such a way that a large number of its copies arise in other consciousnesses.”

Under the memagent, we will understand the functional component of a meme, causing a specific effect or a complex of its effects on the carrier.

Thus, a meme can, in various ways, induce the carrier to assimilate and spread, and these methods will differ depending on the present memagents.

It is worth emphasizing that the classification we cited earlier considered memes precisely by the nature and role of the voidness memagent within the memeplex, that is, it reflected the memes as void, and not the examples given in it as memes, and makes sense only when viewed in cooperation with a specific carrier.

The defining property of the voidness memagent is its ability to manage the attention of carriers through information gap, the local area of ​​“information deprivation” that consciousness reflexively seeks to fill in. Memplexes can use a meme with a void agent to ensure holistic integration of all the components within them to the mind of a carrier.

Thus, the classification was divided into three groups: Quasi-void (Imaginary void, temporarily existing in the data perception, generated by the difficulty of obtaining it), True-Void (Void is contained in the data objectively), Void-active (Void is generated by data interpretation).

Quasi-Void memeplexes (classes A, B, C) allow such data to be found or deciphered, in which case, the person gives them increased importance, since he spent certain efforts on their search, be it data decryption or the search for scattered fragments of it. It also plays the role of the “processing level effect”, when a deeper analysis generates a more reliable and detailed and longer trace in memory than surface analysis. A void memagent is created in an individual meme due to the fact that its information is either scattered between individual memeplex memes or cannot be interpreted without their help. Ie in this case, the redistribution of data in the memplex creates a temporary void.

A True-Void meme (classes D, E, F) does not contain the required data (its presence is illusory), so it will not be possible to find it until the carrier himself comes up with it intuitively or compensates voidness with “semantic cognitive bias” - the essence of which is the tendency to believe that you know the meaning of the word, although in reality, you know only the area of its application and use. Otherwise, searches can continue indefinitely. True-Void memes in certain cases are able to grow out of a whole memeplex of theories.

In addition, the belonging of a meme to one or another class is not static and finally given, a good example is the Voynich manuscript. This manuscript does not lose its relevance in the media space precisely because of the lack of an exact key for decryption. Finding such a key will transfer it from class E to class C. The artificially created void can also be filled with time.

It is also worth mentioning that memes with an agent of class F have an implicit connection with their manifestations, and if we are talking about the feeling of deja vu or compulsions, as examples, then the memes will not be them, but something causing them - which is difficult to establish since the connection between the meme and its manifestation is an element of voidness.

This also includes memes based on cognitive biases, for example, the illusion of correlation, the erroneous belief in the relationship of certain actions and results.

Void-active memes (classes G, H, I, J) destroys information that they come into contact with, thereby turning it into a void-meme that draws attention to the meme that destroyed it. Classes of void-active memes are given inaccurately compared to true-void ones due to the high degree of abstraction and the breadth of possible interpretations.

The most extensive class of void-active memagents is class H ones, which is characterized by causing difficulty in perception or access to related information. Unlike class I memes, they do not completely destroy the information, but they can distort it, make the carrier forget it or reject it, violating the integrity of the victim-memeplex and turning it into a void-meme for subsequent parasitism on it.

Lets introduce the concept of the “designificator” meme of class H, which is a kind of negative image of something that supports the attention around itself due to the fact that it underestimates the importance of any information associated with it, prompting the carrier to reject its perception. Thus, the memagent indulges the needs of the carrier to filter the flow of incoming information in the conditions of the modern world and the accompanying information abundance.

The memagent leads the attention from the content of meme to its meta-attributes, whether it is the form of presentation, the identity of the author or the presence of “popular” terms. In this case, the essence of the content is rejected, and the meta-markers receive all the attention. (“Ah, that guy with a bad reputation wrote it, that’s probably some kind of nonsense, and you don’t have to read it.” - here the text is torn away, but the author’s negative image feeds on attention.)

Personality ruins the idea. It is precisely because the author’s identity is a fairly popular target for the formation of such memagents, so valuable ideas can be most effectively expressed anonymously or by minimizing available information about the author or the author’s community, especially if your concept contradicts the generally accepted one. It should be noted that the platforms, focusing primarily on the author’s personality, sooner or later produce memes that counteract this mechanism.

Such an approach also does not completely exclude the possibility of occurrence of designificators based on the effects of reframing, generalization of special cases and other cognitive biases. Memagents capable of causing amnesia and confabulations are extreme manifestations of class H and are poorly researched. Confabulators, for example, are assumed to be the hypothetical basis of the Mandela effect. It is assumed that they are able to create a retrospective distortion of memory, which spontaneously completes to a full-fledged false memory.

Class I memagents attract attention by provoking the destruction of associated data. They can be malicious codes that erase information, or even censorship triggers, which are always on the ear - in contrast to related information destroyed by censorship.

An example is the illegal/forbidden content: When such a content is the cause of the deletion of a post or page, all information on the page is destroyed, and we can no longer say exactly what was there, however, the data that it was caused by the tag spread outside, attracting attention to it. Thus, the tag destroys information that comes into contact, while copying information about itself. As the degree of influence of memagent increases, it can spread its effect to other tags that are similar to it or have common elements of the memetic core.