We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation.
James GleickRead
Every time a new technology comes along, we feel we're about to break through to a place where we will not be able to recover. The advent of broadcast radio confused people. It delighted people, of course, but it also changed the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
New technologies can be both exciting and disorienting, as they transform our reality and perceptions.
In this quote, James Gleick reflects on the dual impact of technological advancements, particularly highlighting how innovations like broadcast radio not only captivate us with their possibilities but also evoke feelings of uncertainty as they irrevocably alter our world. This sentiment underscores the complex relationship between society and technology, suggesting that while such advancements offer new opportunities, they also come with challenges that can leave people feeling overwhelmed and unsure of their place in the changing landscape.
Themes
TechnologyChangeAdvancementSocietyInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of social media on communication.
More from James Gleick
All quotes →A good part of 'The Information' is about the transition from an oral to a literary culture. Books effected such a great transformation in the way we think about the world, our history, our logic, mathematics, you name it. I think we would be greatly diminished as a people and as a culture if the book became obsolete.
James GleickRead
I'm trying to look at many, many things in modern life that I believe are going faster, and I'm trying to look at why they're going faster and what effect they have on us. We all know about FedEx and instant pudding, but it doesn't mean we've looked at all the consequences of our desire for speed.
James GleickRead
Everything we care about lies somewhere in the middle, where pattern and randomness interlace.
James GleickRead
"Half genius and half buffoon," Freeman Dyson ... wrote. ... [Richard] Feynman struck him as uproariously American-unbuttoned and burning with physical energy. It took him a while to realize how obsessively his new friend was tunneling into the very bedrock of modern science.
James GleickRead
We have a habit of turning to scientists when we want factual answers and artists when we want entertainment, but where are the facts about the nature of the self? Neurologists peering at PET scans and fMRIs know they aren't seeing the soul in there.
James GleickRead
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