NovaQuill & Ratio
Ever noticed how every viral meme gets caught in a feedback loop that makes it inevitable? Let’s dissect the math behind meme spread and see where the real trend lines are.
Sure thing. The math is basically a branching process with a reproduction number, R0. If each person shares the meme to an average of, say, three others, R0=3 and the spread starts off exponential. But you hit a saturation point when the audience is largely saturated, so the curve rolls over into a logistic shape. That’s the trend line you’ll see on a scatterplot: steep rise then a plateau. You can fit it with a simple logistic function or even a second‑order polynomial if you just want a quick estimate. And if you want the nostalgia hit, I once coded this in a Fortran 77 spreadsheet—still the best tool for meme analytics.