Memetic Lifecycles

[jducoeur]

Hypothesis: the faster a cultural phenomenon takes off and the bigger it gets, the faster it will peak and then fade into being a niche thing. Fifteen minutes of fame can, sometimes, be fifteen seconds.

I've had this theory in the back of my mind for a long time, but Pokemon Go looks like it'll make a *lovely* data point to examine...

Comments

[etherial.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you there. The only reason the original Pokemon missed me is that I skipped a grade in elementary school. Every release has expanded that fanbase by adding a significant age bracket at the bottom and another smaller one at the top.