Maths in the time of social media: conceptualizing the Internet phenomenon of mathematical memes

Mathematical memes are an Internet phenomenon with an epistemic potential noteworthy for the teaching and learning of mathematics. The aim of this paper is to conceptualize this phenomenon on an empirical base, elucidating its educational potential. To pursue this goal, a two-year ethnographic research study has been conducted in a selection of social media communities that exchange mathematical memes. In the paper, a twofold theoretical lens is used to investigate the phenomenon from a memetic perspective focused on the general characteristics of Internet memes, and from a cultural perspective considering the Web 2.0 environment. Analysis tools derived from the memetic and cultural theoretical background are applied to an instrumental case study, to reconstruct how mathematical memes activate the interaction among members of an online community. The investigation elicits key characteristics of the phenomenon, provides grounds to conceptualize mathematical memes as hybrid representations of mathematical statements, and sheds light on the traits of the epistemic culture they establish in the community.