Abstract

This paper argues that humanity is undergoing an unprecedented evolutionary transition from genetic to memetic dominance. Social networks, by hijacking the brain's reward system, have created a crisis manifested in rising depression, social isolation, and declining birth rates worldwide. Tracing the evolutionary history of genes and the emergence of memes as independent replicators, the paper shows how digital technologies and artificial intelligence now pose a serious threat to genetic survival. While genes require generations to evolve, memes replicate in seconds and can survive indefinitely in digital storage without biological hosts. The paper examines potential solutions, collective awareness, regulations, and AI control, while acknowledging the formidable obstacles posed by corporate power and global competition. It concludes with a warning: if humanity fails to act, voluntary extinction may be the unintended consequence of memetic supremacy. [Originally written in Persian and translated into English by the author.]