The analogy that truth is comparable to a virus is interesting in the context of messages pertinent to the political environment. "Either it must infect the code of mainstream discourse and permanently change the habits of mainstream institutions ... or it must create alternate ongoing institutions that carry and reproduce the meme" (Boyd, 375). Memes are especially relevant to this time period, as a large percent of the population consumes media that is released. Social media is a strong tool in spreading messages and other content. There can be both positive and negative types of viruses that are present, each with their own unique characteristics. This can be comparable to real life events in which the reproduction of memes, which sometimes contain the "truth", are able to spread in society.
This reminded me of a contemporary example in which Doctor Devin Dao was forcefully dragged off the United plane due to a discrepancy in overbooking. There were many memes produced as a result of this instance. Some included the mockery of United Airline's motto, "fly the friendly skies" which pictures of the assaulted victim. Others were mantras from different airlines, such as Southwest, which quoted, "we beat our competition, not you." These memes arose and were reproduced all over social media, which aided in the spread of awareness about this incident. Although the time of this "viral infection" did not last that long, the impact or severity it had is substantial. There were many petitions started by Asian Americans, supported by those who weren't Asian American, who did not agree with United's process of handling these conflicts. The result of this viral infection is one that was reproduced rapidly and had positive outcomes.
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