Across and Within: Issues of Virality, Imitation and Reactivity

Abstract

What flows between humans when they associate? Since the late eighteenth century, the ancient term mimesis has been flanked by an array of surrounding terms signifying imitation and contagion. Imitation has been sometimes conceptualised as more active than contagion, while a number of other phenomena including enthusiasm, possession, mesmerism, somnambulism, hypnosis, suggestion, fascination, repetition, compassion, influence and depersonalisation have been filling the gulf between active imitation and passive contagion, making their distinction problematic.