from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
meme plague
n.
The spread of a successful but pernicious {meme}, esp. one that
parasitizes the victims into giving their all to propagate it.
Astrology, BASIC, and the other guy's religion are often considered to
be examples. This usage is given point by the historical fact that
`joiner' ideologies like Naziism or various forms of millennarian
Christianity have exhibited plague-like cycles of exponential growth
followed by collapses to small reservoir populations.
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
meme plague
<philosophy> The spread of a successful but pernicious {meme},
especially one that parasitises the victims into giving their
all to propagate it. Astrology, BASIC, and the other guy's
religion are often considered to be examples. This usage is
given point by the historical fact that "joiner" ideologies
like Naziism or various forms of millennarian Christianity
have exhibited plague-like cycles of exponential growth
followed by collapses to small reservoir populations.
[{Jargon File}]
(1996-08-11)