Major Technology: Memetics

Memetics is the study of communication and interaction, in the same way that genetics is the study of DNA and its interactions. As genetics is a foundational piece of Biotech, so is memetics a foundational piece of Metatech.

In much the same way that not all of biotech is genetics, not all Metatech techniques are memetically oriented. Memetics is specifically the study of ideas and their components in various contexts. Other areas of Metatech include (but are not limited to) the study of intra-psyche components within the human mind, the study of how humans interact en masse (psychohistory), and the manipulation of instinctual triggers built into the human brain.

Implications

Human communication is understood at a very deep level in high-Metatech civilizations. Not only can people communicate exactly what they want to say, but they have a greater chance of evoking the desired emotional response. Naturally, others in a high-Meta civilization also know memetic techniques, and can see through manipulations and verbal evasions more easily. Such civilizations tend to be either very honest and forthright, or cloaked in constant intrigue.

Characters trained in memetic techniques are at a substantial advantage when interacting with low-Metatech characters. They can read emotions from body language perfectly, lie without the chance of detection, trigger nearly any emotional response. High-Meta worlds are often faced with suspicion because of this, which they work fairly effectively to allay.

Memetics is not only useful in spoken communication. Mass media, including infosphere sites and broadcasts, can also be memetically tailored. Characters with a working knowledge of memetics can also communicate their emotions and basic needs very effectively through gesture and body language.

Limitations

Memetics is at its best when dealing with known quantities. A message with a tightly-focused and well-studied demographic is more likely to be effective than one that tries to reach everyone. Learning to target a new type of neuroform could take days.

Some Metatech tools can affect people before they have a chance to look away or turn off their auditory nerves. Memetics are not one of those things. Memetic techniques need at least a few seconds, the beginnings of a conversation or an advertisement, to take hold.

Game Terms

Characters who are trained in memetic techniques have Metatech 3 or higher.

Core Tech: Metatech

Links

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