The Psychological Impact of Technology: Narrative Memetics and Psychosocial Contagion in Digital Network

Maurice Yolles ()
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Maurice Yolles: Liverpool John Moores University

A chapter in Technology and Society - Boon or Bane?, 2025, pp 16-43 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Psychosocial contagion theory has evolved significantly, shifting from early models of group dynamics to contemporary frameworks that explain how emotional and ideational forces propagate through digital networks and emerging technologies. Initially grounded in studies of emotional contagion (where emotions spread through interpersonal interactions) the theory has expanded to include cognitive and ideational (including ideological) transmission, profoundly shaping collective beliefs and behaviours on a large scale. At the core of this broader framework lies cultural memetics which describes the transmission of stable traditions, symbols, and norms that collectively shape identities and behavioural patterns over time. Cultural memes maintain societal continuity by reinforcing shared values and long-standing practices. However, in the digital age, these traditional mechanisms are increasingly influenced by narrative memetics, a more dynamic and adaptive force. Unlike cultural memes, which preserve traditions, narrative memes actively shape perception and behaviour through repetition, mutation, and amplification within the information ecosystem. As an extension of psychosocial contagion, narrative memetics can take both constructive and destructive forms. As a malomeme, it manipulates public opinion to deepen social fragmentation through disinformation, disinfolklore, and psychosocial terrorism. These threats are further amplified by bots (automated software designed to perform tasks online) which enable malomemes to self-organise, making them more potent and disruptive to social coherence. The rise of media moguls turned digital oligarchs, who exert control over information flows and facilitate the spread of malomemes, influencing political structures and public discourse. While society possesses a social immune system intended to counteract malomemes and mitigate their psychological and social harms, its effectiveness remains uncertain. However, the notion of the bonimeme holds the potential to reinforce this defence by promoting social cohesion, countering harmful narratives, and strengthening collective resilience.

Keywords: psychosocial contagion; emotional contagion; digital environment; disinformation; disinfolklore; psychosocial terrorism; cultural memetics; malomems; digital oligarchs; social cohesion; polarization; ideational manipulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-032-07163-7_2

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-07163-7_2

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