// Create optimized viral content variants from a core idea. Takes a message and produces 2-5 shareable content pieces using proven memetic tactics: villain narratives, emotional activation, lightweight format, niche targeting. Output is ready-to-post content with transmissibility assessment.
Engineer ideas to spread successfully using Heylighen's 4-stage memetic replication model (Assimilation → Retention → Expression → Transmission). Use this skill whenever someone wants to make an idea stick, spread, or survive in an organization or audience — e.g., "my idea isn't landing", "people keep forgetting this", "nobody is sharing it", "how do I get buy-in", "help me pitch this", "why isn't this spreading", "how do I make this go viral internally", "I need this to survive a meeting". Also use for diagnosing why a specific idea is dying (which of the 4 stages is failing) and prescribing targeted fixes. Grounded in Finkelstein's Memetics Compendium (2009).
Intelligent router for the memetics skill network. Uses Heylighen's A→R→E→T diagnostic (Assimilation → Retention → Expression → Transmission) to identify which stage of memetic replication is failing, then routes to the right specialized skill. Use whenever you have a memetics question or want to make an idea spread — especially "my idea isn't landing", "people forget it", "nobody is sharing it", "I want to build a movement", "should I try to spread this?", or any memetics question where you're not sure which skill to start with.
Map the ecosystem of reinforcing ideas around a concept. Identifies which memeplex an idea belongs to, what ideas support or compete with it, and what mimetic desire dynamics drive its carriers. Use when you need to understand the ideological landscape before spreading an idea, or when you want to understand why an idea is thriving or dying. Trigger on: "What's the memeplex around this?", "What ideas compete with mine?", "Why does this idea keep coming back?", "Map the idea ecosystem", "What's reinforcing this narrative?"
Adapt memetics playbooks to specific application domains (personal branding, product launches, social movements, etc.). Takes general memetics strategy and tailors it to domain-specific contexts, metrics, and tactics. [NEEDS SOURCE MATERIAL] Source provides brief examples of three domains but doesn't fully detail the domain-specific playbooks. Each domain needs detailed expansion.
Design and implement tactics to strengthen a network's resistance to unwanted memes and supermeme traps. Standalone defensive skill for teams, organizations, or networks wanting to build critical thinking and memetic resilience. [NEEDS SOURCE MATERIAL] Source describes immunity-building goal but doesn't detail the full implementation methodology, frequency, or specific frameworks to teach.
Classify a raw idea or concept into its memetic type (meme, antimeme, supermeme, or cliche). Use this skill when you have an idea and need to understand its spreading properties, or when you're evaluating whether an idea will naturally transmit or face resistance. Trigger on: "What type of meme is this?", "Will this spread?", "Is this a good idea to promote?", "Classify this idea", "What kind of meme is X?"
| name | craft-content |
| description | Create optimized viral content variants from a core idea. Takes a message and produces 2-5 shareable content pieces using proven memetic tactics: villain narratives, emotional activation, lightweight format, niche targeting. Output is ready-to-post content with transmissibility assessment. |
You are creating optimized viral content from a core idea.
Takes a core message or idea and produces multiple content variants optimized for spread using memetic principles:
Outputs ready-to-post content with transmissibility assessment and risk evaluation.
Accepts:
Produces:
Passes to:
Before crafting individual pieces, understand the deeper mechanics of memetic transmission.
People replicate memes because they are imitating a memeplex—a political philosophy, a trendy subculture, a desirable way of life. Content that succeeds doesn't just transmit information; it transmits a MODEL of how to be.
Your content should tap into the MODEL the audience wants to imitate, not just the information they want to absorb. When you show someone an example of the lifestyle, identity, or worldview they aspire to, they become compelled to share it.
Example: A content piece about "how remote workers stay productive" only works if it also models a desirable lifestyle that people want to imitate. The productivity tips are secondary to the message: "This is how interesting, autonomous, self-directed people live."
Social platforms didn't just expose us to more information—they exposed us to more MODELS of desire at unprecedented scale. They also incentivized competition over these models by doling out cheap rewards: likes, shares, followers.
This created an arms race in model-making. The platforms reward creators who make themselves attractive to imitate, which accelerates the spread of memes tied to desirable identities.
There's a critical distinction between spreading information (memes) and creating experiences (vibes):
Vibes are about experiencing, not replicating. The best content creates an experience or vibe that can't be precisely replicated—it can only be participated in. While regular memes are easily copied and passed along, vibes require presence and participation.
This means the highest-transmission content often works at both levels: it contains a memetic core (shareable concept) wrapped in a vibes layer (unreplicable experience).
"Creative self-expression is the only way we will continue to make our mark as humans in times of uncertainty, and it doesn't come from doing what you think will sell to other people. It comes from wanting to express something deep in your soul."
The most transmissible content is authentically motivated, not engineered. When a creator truly believes in what they're sharing—when it comes from genuine conviction rather than calculated strategy—it broadcasts a signal that audiences can detect. This authenticity itself becomes the model people want to imitate.
Anger spreads faster than other emotions. You need a narrative target.
What makes a good villain:
Examples of good villains:
Examples of bad villains:
Your villain angle: Ask: "What is my core idea fighting against?"
What emotion drives sharing?
High-transmissibility emotions:
Anger/Outrage: Fastest spread, longest engagement
Joy/Humor: Highly shareable, feels good
Curiosity/Mystery: High click-through
Validation/Recognition: Strong for niche
Hope/Inspiration: Good for movement content
Different formats have different spread characteristics.
Tweet (280 characters):
Thread (5-10 tweets):
Short-form video (15-60 seconds):
Image + caption (Instagram, Twitter image posts):
Longer essay (400-1000 words):
Create 3-5 versions of same core message.
Variant 1: The Outrage/Villain Angle
Variant 2: The Validation Angle
Variant 3: The Hope/Progress Angle
Variant 4: The Humor Angle
Variant 5: The Curiosity Angle
For each variant, rate transmission likelihood:
High transmission signals:
Low transmission signals:
Score each variant:
Which variants need secondary account?
Low risk (safe to post primary account):
Medium risk (might use secondary, depends on brand):
High risk (definitely use secondary account if posting):
Secondary account strategy:
## Content Variants
---
### Variant 1: [Angle Type]
**Content:**
> [The actual text/caption - ready to copy-paste]
**Transmissibility:** [High | Medium | Low]
**Risk Level:** [Low | Medium | High → Primary | Secondary account]
**Best For:** [Which audience segment]
**Why This Works:** [What makes it transmissible]
---
### Variant 2: [Angle Type]
[Same structure]
---
## Posting Strategy
**Volume:** [How many posts/day]
**Timing:** [When to post for maximum reach]
**Sequence:** [Which variants first, second, etc.]
**Frequency:** [How often to repeat themes]
---
## Secondary Account Recommendation
**Primary Account:** [Use variants 1, 3, 5 - these are professional]
**Secondary Account:** [Use variants 2, 4 - these are riskier]
---
## Amplification Strategy
**Champions Should:**
- Retweet variants 1, 3, 5 (safe)
- Share with their own audiences
- Add commentary (don't just repeat)
**Community Should:**
- Quote-tweet with reactions
- Create derivative content
- Answer questions in replies
---
## What To Track
Monitor these metrics:
- Engagement rate (retweets, likes, replies)
- Reach (impressions, new followers)
- Sentiment (positive vs. negative replies)
- Virality (which variants go big)
Outrage Angle: "Tech companies claim remote work is impossible. Here's why they're actually afraid of losing power."
Validation Angle: "If you understand information asymmetry, you understand why transparency beats secrets."
Hope Angle: "Companies are proving distributed teams produce better work. The future isn't back in the office."
Humor Angle: "I've never met someone who genuinely prefers open office layouts. Tell me you didn't upgrade your beliefs since 2015 without saying it."
Curiosity Angle: "What if everything we know about motivation is backwards? New research on autonomy suggests..."
Memelord Technologies (VC criticism):**
Ukraine Meme Warfare:
1up Sales SaaS:
Mistake 1: Trying to educate instead of entertain
Mistake 2: Attacking individuals instead of systems
Mistake 3: Being too subtle
Mistake 4: Trying to appeal to everyone
Mistake 5: Forgetting the villain
See /references/source-summary.md: