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JoshuaZ comments on Recognizing memetic infections and forging resistance memes - Less Wrong
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How do you distinguish a meme that is infectious because it is hijacking imperfect hardware and a meme that is actually spreading because it has good content? There are some very simple concepts that spread easily that could be regarded as memes. For example, the idea of Fermi estimates is essentially a meme. But it is one that is useful in many contexts.
It seems that Johnicolas would call the Fermi estimate meme "infectious", but not a "disease".
It may be better to more explicitly counter the connotations of common usage by calling it a "benign infection".
This reminds me of someone complaining somewhere that the word viral is now used without negative connotation (as in viral advertising by its advocates), and that that's not right.
Natural organic viruses can be good for you. E.g. see the Seneca Valley Virus.
"Viral" isn't wrong - though there is a case that it is potentially misleading. I tend to use "cultural symbiont", "cultural parasite" and "cultural mutualist".
Thank you. Exactly.
A biologist would look at the effect of the cultural symbiote on host fitness - and classify it as a parasite, mutualist or commensalist, accordingly.