Cultural evolution moves exponentially faster than genetic evolution because ideas spread through social networks in hours rather than generations. Digital platforms amplify this through algorithmic selection, creating both unprecedented opportunities for knowledge sharing and serious risks from viral misinformation.
Social contagion—the rapid spread of behaviors, emotions, and beliefs through networks—shapes everything from viral memes to financial crashes. Powered by mirror neurons and turbocharged by algorithms, contagion can tip behaviors viral once critical thresholds are reached. While it enables positive cascades like public health campaigns spreading across communities, it also fuels misinformation, mass panic, and algorithmic radicalization. Understanding network science, developing resistance sk...
Social contagion spreads through networks using the same mathematical principles as disease outbreaks, with network structure, centrality, and reinforcement thresholds determining which behaviors go viral and which fizzle out.
Culture now evolves 10,000 times faster than genes, with social learning, network effects, and digital platforms accelerating idea diffusion from millennia to days. This speed enables rapid innovation and adaptation but also risks spreading maladaptive memes, misinformation, and cognitive overload. Understanding cultural evolution's mechanisms—from TikTok's viral trends to business innovation—empowers individuals and societies to navigate accelerating change, harness collective intelligence, ...
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