By Jordan S. Carroll
Infected by information
“Language is a virus from outer space.” ~ William S. Burroughs
Richard Dawkins described culture in terms of self-replicating pieces of information, or “memes.” The “meme” is the cultural equivalent of a virus. It is any data that changes your thoughts and behavior so that you will tell others about it, thus infecting them. If it is an effective meme, it “evolves” to spread itself among many people. A meme can be anything catchy-it can be “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” a Shakespearean speech, how to build a boat, or Islam. Try singing the first few words of a popular song in a crowded room and see how many people complete it. They’ve all been infected by that meme.
In modern times, this parallel between genetics and the spread of information has become more and more appropriate. In the past half-century, the information gene pools have overflowed. Whereas information once relied on print, word of mouth, and tradition to propagate itself, it now has the serial monogamy of television and the intertwined polygamy of the Internet.
An entire industry has sprung up around memetic distribution: the Media. Every jingle, every ad slogan, every commercial is specially designed to enter your mind, stay there, and hopefully spread itself to others. Taco Bell Chihuahuas have bred by the millions. The Media profits from our shortening attention spans by creating shorter and shorter snippets of information. We see music videos, jarringly edited movies, sound byte journalism, commercials that have less and less to do with the product portrayed. The quicker the reproduction cycle, the more memes are disseminated. As a result, the information we receive becomes increasingly brief, increasingly meaningless. Ambiguity and complexity take too much time, are too hard to remember, and do little to support the information flow, so they are eliminated. We find ourselves more prone to kneejerk reactions, false dichotomies, lapses in logic, preference of style over substance. Theatres boot Woody Allen in favor of “Snow Dogs.” Religions are represented in acronyms or single verses. Philosophies and ideologies are boiled down to catch phrases. The issues and candidates are inevitably reduced to two opposing sides.
Philip K. Dick had a different view of information. In his novel “Valis,” he described a “living” information. He called it a “seed” or a “plasmate.” Once read, this information develops a “symbiotic” relationship with the human mind- the reader, or the viewer, interacts, questions, and is involved with the knowledge he or she encounters. Instead of being infected by the information, he or she receives the information and develops from it. Most, however, seem to have been conditioned to do as little with their information as possible. They refuse to adapt- only to duplicate. We’d rather read a web site than a novel. We’d rather follow a charismatic figure than decide for ourselves.
What, then, can we do to become symbiotic instead of viral, seeded instead of infected? There’s no way to live without memes, but there are ways to live without being unknowingly controlled by more parasitic patterns. A healthy sense of informed skepticism, a critical eye, and a bit of good taste go far toward information symbiosis. Be aware of the motives of those who are trying to manipulate you (e.g., advertisers, televangelists, political propagandists). Be willing to accept things in part or be undecided. Ignore popularity. Most importantly, engage in an active relationship with the information you’ve been given. Do not accept a position as an observer, as a passive recipient. Instead, question and consider everything. Otherwise, the seeds of true knowledge will fall on “fallow ground.”
Jordan S. Carroll is a sophomore English major and a columnist for The Louisville Cardinal. Contact: JordanSC@aol.com
