What Defines A Meme Gleik Summary

The essay “What Defines a Meme” by James Gleik discusses what a meme is and how it relates biologically. The definition of a meme in its most basic form a complex form of idea that is passed from one person to another. Other examples of ideas could be presented as objects or photos. Back years ago a meme was just a written concept, but in today's world due to technology it is visual. Examples of technological advances include computer, tv, phones, tablets, so on and so forth. He compares meme, which represent the virtual world, to biology like viruses. Gleik thinks that memes are like viruses because they can duplicate and spread fast. Meme control us and hinder human experiences, where the right thing is that we should be able to control our own experiences in order to enrich and benefit ourselves.
Lucy P. Marcus tries to understand the value of relationships that occur online and how it compares to connectedness. In her essay, “What it Means Today to be “Connected””, she defines connectedness as being able to come and be together, to share ideas, and put them to good

use. It shows measures the degree of connectedness you have over time with another person. In the end she concluded that even online relationships can form some authenticity, depth, and continuity of being “connected”. Connectedness can occur online or offline.
Fredrik deBoer on the other hand, in his essay “The Resentment Machine: The Immiseration of the Digital Creative Class”, states that online technologies were emerging to become a new reality for some people.

He argues that the internet is a form of a “resentment machine” for the digital creative group that has lost their mojo, and it is a new creation of themselves. They are basically miserable people who lack skills and inspiration for the good of the work, so they fill the void with online self instead of bigger better things. Society has caused them to think that we need to compete to order to succeed, which leads to cultural consumption. deBoer admits, “... there is little hope for the survival of the fully realized self” (Culture 86). He believes that cultural consumption means nothing. It is just emptiness and an illusion, where people are not themselves and are not doing things for

themselves.
“Lying, Cheating, and Virtual Relationships” by Cynthia Jones is an essay where she writes about the pros and cons of virtual relationships. The advantages of virtual dating is that it is a free form of reality, where you can do whatever you want, plus it is easy to disengage. Jones articulates that virtual relationships, virtual dating, and cyber sex are made fun because they seem fake and made up. In real life you can be one thing and in the viral life you can be something completely different, even anonymously. Jones goes on to discuss the ethical questions of lying and cheating in the online life. Lying benefits one, but does not harm the other, while cheating could possibly harm the other person, but virtual relationships are not “real”. Jones feels that cheating online is unethical and it affects people emotionally.
Lastly, Roger Scruton, in his essay, “Hiding Behind the Screen,” argues that online contexts of the Internet limit human development and relationships in the real world. Scruton scrutinizes that the screen is a separation between the online and real world. People could be out creating relationships and building character, but we get distracted and stuck behind a screen. Those same people who invest themselves online lose reality and their own sense of existence as a real individual person. We as humans learn from other relationships with other people to grow and develop ourselves. Scruton says that real relationships are about being affectionate and showing actions, but the screen hinders and controls us to avoid personal development to take emotional and physical risks in front of others.
Overall, the use of technology has impacted everyone in some shape or form. Scruton notes that being behind the screen has a negative effect because technology like cell phones are changing how we interact on a daily basis. In today's society, it is difficult to imagine that there were times before cell phones even existed. It provides the ability to connect with people anywhere anytime. People are so closely intertwined with their cell phones that it negatively affects people’s experience in day to day relationships. Scruton would agree that cell phones has diminished friendships. Even though our cellular devices play a huge role in communication, it is distracting, so it lowers our attention span, and conversations often times lack context, which causes a decrease in people’s ability to socialize on a personal level.
Whenever I find myself in a boring, awkward, or I do not want to be here situation, I tend to isolate myself and turn to my cellular device because it is a click of a button away. Cell phones are always right at our fingertips and it keeps my attention away from what is happening around me. Sometimes people even say that it decreases our attention span to a size of a goldfish. We can talk, text, play games, basically anything you want in on your phone. Like Scruton says in his essay “Hiding Behind the Screen”, people who are stuck behind the screen could be out making relationships with other people and make connections, but choose not to. That lowers people’s capacity to socialize, so when people do not socialize, they do not achieve that personal level of development in the relationship and as a person. I am guilty that my cell phone distracts me. When I am distracted it leaves the impression that I do not want to talk to other people and decide to shut the whole world out by looking down at the screen.
When we communicate with our cell phones, our conversations lack context. That means that you do not know what is happening on the other side of the cell phone. You cannot tell if the person is happy, sad, being funny, angry, etc, so you will not be able to connect with people on a deeper personal level. This desensitizes people of emotions. According to Scruton emotions, affection, and showing actions is what makes relationships whole. It is all about taking risks emotionally and physically in front of others while socializing. In my experience, when conversations are surfaced level, it feels empty and meaningless. Sometimes it can be misinterpreted. It is the same casual conversation of “Hi, how are you” over and over and it repeats day after day, but never nothing more personal. The less personal the conversation is, the more people tend to socialize a little less and shy away from their own ability and confidence to speak and be vulnerable.
After all, I will agree that having a cell phone has its advantages, but more often than not it catches our attention, consequently leaving us distracted and conversations lack deeper emotions, which creates a negative effect on people's ability to socialize with others personally. Scruton would agree as well that today our cell phones and technology in general interferes with our relationships. Sometimes you have to stop, check yourself, and step back from cell phone because there's a time and a place for everything.