They interact with each other and with other mental forces in the same brain, in neighboring brains, and thanks to global communication, in far distant, foreign brains"(556). Clearly in Mona Eltahawy's case, with her career being that of a journalist the technology at her disposal has had incredibly positive influences. In her reflective essay, Twitterholics Anonymous, she talks about how she first learned of the bomb attack which took place on New Year against a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, via Twitter, and it was, for many days, the only place she heard news of the incident. She says this is because, no matter the timezone, on Twitter, there's always someone awake somewhere. However, Eltahawy has profound mixed feelings about the level to which technology has invaded her life. She states "Twitter is my lifeline to the world. Twitter is the bane of my existence. Twitter connects me to everything I care about, and twitter is ruining my life"(163). She goes on to compare her obsession with social media as an addiction. She states "Connection. Distraction. Twitter, I love/hate you"(165). It's clear that she is extremely fearful of disconnecting. She at this point in her life cannot exist without it. Overall it appears that Eltahaway is in favor of the benefits she receives from her connection to the internet. Afterall, televised broadcasts are biased and manipulate the truth to fit their interests, unlike the nature of Gleick's memes which are free to propagate and evolve without controls or manipulations. Twitter, allows people from all over to share unedited, unbiased information of events taking place all over. Gleick quotes "Memes can replicate with impressive virulence while leaving swaths of collateral damage"(558). No one knows what to believe or not believe but they enjoy reading through all of the different information that is out on the Internet.
