Memes as Signs: A Semiotic Analysis of Communication in Digital Networks

This article examines the phenomenon of memes in the context of digital networks from a semiotic perspective inspired by the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce. It begins from the hypothesis that memetic theory, formulated by Richard Dawkins, although relevant for describing certain aspects of cultural diffusion, presents conceptual limitations insofar as it privileges the idea of informational replication at the expense of the representational dimension of cultural contents. In light of these limitations, the article proposes to reinterpret memes as sign phenomena embedded in processes of semiosis. The analysis initially reconstructs the origins of the concept of meme in evolutionary biology and in the memetic literature, highlighting problems such as low replication fidelity and the indeterminacy of the memetic unit. It then demonstrates that these phenomena can be more consistently understood in light of the Peircean theory of signs, in which representamen, object, and interpretant constitute inseparable elements of signification. Based on this framework, the article develops the analytical model of the meme–network–belief triad, in which memes operate as carriers of representative qualities, networks function as infrastructures of circulation, and beliefs correspond to relatively stable interpretive habits. The paper concludes that the articulation between semiotics and pragmatism offers appropriate conceptual tools for understanding the role of memes in the formation and stabilization of collective beliefs within the contemporary communicational environment.