Evolution of a 'meme' according to Facebook=?windows-1252?Q?=92s_?=data science team

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Thu Jan 9 17:20:11 UTC 2014


Article title: Your heartfelt declaration of principles on Facebook
will eventually turn into a joke about zombies
Author: Rachel Feltman
Date: January 8, 2014
Website: Quartz qz.com

http://qz.com/164816/your-heartfelt-declaration-of-principles-on-facebook-will-eventually-turn-into-a-joke-about-zombies/

[Begin excerpt]
Facebook’s data science team has posted a fascinating analysis of data
collected from Facebook shares that allowed it to track the evolution
of a popular meme.
[End excerpt]

Initial statement posted in September 2009: “No one should die because
they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because
they get sick. If you agree, post this as your status for the rest of
the day”.

Evolution of the statement according to the Quartz article:

[Begin excerpt]
die because they cannot afford health care...

be frozen in carbonite because...they couldn't pay Jabba the Hut

die because of zombies if they cannot afford a shotgu...

have to worry about dying tomorrow but cancer patients do...

go thirsty because they cannot afford wine...

be without a beer because they cannot afford one...

die because the government is involved with health care...

die because Obamacare rations their healthcare...

go broke because government taxes and spends...
[End excerpt]

[Begin excerpt]
So there you have it: Just as we made the magnificent transition from
single cells to meme-creators with a series of random mutations, a
meme in support of healthcare reform went from zombies to beer to
anti-Obama outrage. Because internet.
[End excerpt]

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