The problem of the implication of pop memetics is that it discounts agency.
Consider a community of mathematicians, all trying to discover some high-hanging proof (e.g. Goldbach). It's true that the mathematicians come up with strategies that then spread to the rest of the community if they're useful. But the mathematicians aren't mere vessels for these ideas. They decide which strategies to pursue, and whether the strategies they receive from others seem (to their mind) useful in pursuing the ultimate goal.
From a strictly formal perspective, memetics is true in that the mathematical community may behave like a peer-to-peer system using a gossip protocol. But I don't think anyone would say that the individuals aren't "in charge" but are "just hosts for proof strategies".
Granted, media personalities may not be that contemplative: a scientific community is kind of one extreme. But the example shows that it's not possible to determine whether the tail is wagging the dog or vice versa, just by appealing to the concept of memetics.
Consider a community of mathematicians, all trying to discover some high-hanging proof (e.g. Goldbach). It's true that the mathematicians come up with strategies that then spread to the rest of the community if they're useful. But the mathematicians aren't mere vessels for these ideas. They decide which strategies to pursue, and whether the strategies they receive from others seem (to their mind) useful in pursuing the ultimate goal.
From a strictly formal perspective, memetics is true in that the mathematical community may behave like a peer-to-peer system using a gossip protocol. But I don't think anyone would say that the individuals aren't "in charge" but are "just hosts for proof strategies".
Granted, media personalities may not be that contemplative: a scientific community is kind of one extreme. But the example shows that it's not possible to determine whether the tail is wagging the dog or vice versa, just by appealing to the concept of memetics.