A contagious idea can spread like a meme, while an antimeme draws power from slipping out of the mind. A massive government agency faces forces that remove the ability to remember, making enemies impossible to describe and teammates prone to disappearing. The conflict centers on weaponizing fallible memory against individuals, turning forgetting into an attack mechanism. The story is framed as a fast-moving sci-fi thriller and horror, aiming to unsettle readers by making the brain feel unstable. Collaborative storytelling is presented as a way to engage with and resist such ideas, alongside support for science journalism through subscriptions.
"“Meme has several different definitions, but a meme, for my purposes, is a contagious idea. It's an idea that is in some way catchy or invites you to spread it to other people. A lot of things can qualify as a meme for differ”"
"“In There Is No Antimemetics Division, which came out in late 2025, a massive government agency—or is it?squares off in roughly the present day against forces that, like the opposite of a catchy earworm song, draw their power from slipping out of the mind.”"
"“How do you categorize something you can't describe? How do you fight an enemy that's impossible to remember, with teammates that keep on disappearing? This is a story about what happens when someone weaponizes your fallible memory against you.”"
"“It's a fast-moving sci-fi-thriller-slash-horror that will hopefully, in some fashion, melt your brain. Scientific American talked with qntm about so-called antimemes, the way to fight an idea and the power of collaborative storytelling.”"
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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