I wouldn’t say #1 and #2 state the same thing, since #1 basically says “If a meme is a new, look for proof of benefits or lack thereof”, #2 says “If a meme is old, look for proof of harm or lack thereof”.
I could combine them in “The newer a wide-spread meme is, the more obvious it’s benefits should be”, but I don’t think your summary does justice to those two statements.
I wouldn’t say #1 and #2 state the same thing, since #1 basically says “If a meme is a new, look for proof of benefits or lack thereof”, #2 says “If a meme is old, look for proof of harm or lack thereof”.
I could combine them in “The newer a wide-spread meme is, the more obvious it’s benefits should be”, but I don’t think your summary does justice to those two statements.