What's the difference between a meme and a fad?

Both memes and fads have their place in popularity for a given length of time, until they eventually become outdated and out of style. From what I gather: Meme seems to be more of an Internet related element, whereas fads encompass external stuff like style and phrases. But can anyone give me a crystal clear answer on the differences?

 

I mean they both have the same concept. But memes are like internet based and fads are much like what you said style and phrases and things in real life.

 

I always assumed the difference is the lasting power of the idea or behavior that is created by memes and fads. So, a meme last a lot longer while a fad comes and goes more quickly. I do think a fad can sometimes be a meme, but a meme can never be a fad, because the ideas and behaviors can be the same between memes and fads, and it can spread the same, but the memes always last longer than the fads ever do.

 

I always have to laugh at the people that use memes a lot online and then in social networking they post it like gospel. All you need is a half arsed saying, post it with a scientist and every person in the world on social media rips into it like it's gospel.
I think the best one I ever read was Einstein and it wrote "I never said half the shit people think I did." Honestly brutal.

 

As far as I understand, The concept of memes is that they are an exchange of ideas which can grow, emerge, evolve through a medium that is not organic we might say. (I.E. TV, internet)

A fad seems more of a static phenomena which a population chooses to embrace. Although the element is present with memes to an extent, I think fads produce much more of a cohesive sense of ingroups and I agree with you that fads often can be external stuff such as fashion, diets, trends, etc.


I picture a Venn Diagram with some overlap in my head when discussing these concepts.

 

basically a meme is a photo on the internet, can just be a photo but more often there is text on the top or bottom or both. most of the time like 99% of the time they are humorous can't really think of the last time i saw a meme that wasn't intented to be funny, even if it wasn't actually funny.

*edit* i just googled the definition of meme and the wikipedia is how i've never viewed them. where im from anytime someone says meme, its always assumed to be some sort of photo. usually a mockery photo.

 

a meme is something that gets repeated in media, sometimes with variations on the original but this isn't required .. often a picture but can be anything.

a fad is something that that people "do", you don't "do" memes they just are

 

well there certainly seems to be a fad of creating memes.

but is there a meme of creating fads?

 

:alien:

 

I have made a couple of memes lambasting the Bible Thumpers who are always dissing gays from that Leviticus Bronze Age writing.



I don't have PhotoShop, just an old Adobe editor or Paint that lets me write on fotos, so my meme's aren't as well done as most - but usually spelled correctly, which technology doesn't seem to help. I have actually taken other ppls memes on facebook and corrected the misspelled words.

 

Back in the days of print media, before the Internet was what it is today, I did a few simple drawings that were published on the opinion pages - sort of political cartoons.





Isn't this what memes have replaced in the electronic media?

I am still making such drawings but now post them on the 'Net

 

Albert Einstein Quote


Abe Lincoln Quote

 

Your description is fairly good. I'd put it concisely that meme is a subset of fad. All memes are fads. Not all fads are memes.

The common elements are popularity (high) and duration (low). All memes have low intrinsic value, but not all fads do. Creating, altering, sending, or posting a particular static digital image (meme) is of similarly low intrinsic value to the non-meme fad of buying, keeping, and displaying a "pet rock" in the late-1960s or early-1970s. On the other hand, some fads have utility (and conversely pose danger) beyond a meme's limited ability to amuse or offend.

 

simple answer is memes are a fad.....being a fad is not restricted to offline life.....you are asking the difference between two things that are not in the same category.....like asking what is the difference between braised carrots and dinner...