Who coined the term 'meme', later used widely in internet slang?

“Who coined the term ‘meme,’ later used widely in internet slang?” The answer is Richard Dawkins. The British evolutionary biologist introduced the word in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

Dawkins created “meme” as a cultural counterpart to “gene.” He wanted a short word for a unit of cultural transmission or imitation—something such as a melody, catchphrase, fashion, or skill that can be copied from person to person and altered along the way. The term was shaped from the Greek-rooted “mimeme,” meaning something imitated, while its sound was designed to echo “gene.”

Dawkins’s original concept was broader and more theoretical than today’s typical internet meme. Online memes are usually images, videos, phrases, or jokes that spread rapidly through digital networks and are repeatedly remixed. In 1993, writer Mike Godwin used “Internet meme” in connection with online communities, helping establish the modern digital sense.

The word’s history has an important nuance: similar ideas and the related term “mneme” existed earlier. Nevertheless, Dawkins is credited with coining “meme” in its modern cultural-evolutionary sense.