The idea of how one cultural object becomes rapidly transmitted is studied in the field of memetics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memetics. Why do some videos of dogs sneezing or toddlers falling down go viral and others don’t? Why are some image macros created on websites like Tumblr, Reddit, and 4Chan able to shift to mainstream media outlets? There are a lot of complex rules and behaviors guiding cultural transmission, rules that are difficult or maybe even impossible to wholly identify.
Two features of cultural transmission that are think are relevant in the Ferguson case are discussed in Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point: stickiness (the idea that the content of the message is simple and memorable) and the power of context (the idea that “epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances in which they occur”). It’s possible that these factors helped to contribute to the Ferguson case becoming part of a large cultural narrative.
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