Political activism is not failing because people are too busy watching cat videos online, but because of a fundamental collapse of citizen leverage on institutions of power like governments and corporations.
Zeynep TufekciRead
Much of what ails our modern life is exactly because we reduce the value of a human being to a number, say salary or consumer power.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the tendency to measure a person's worth solely by quantifiable metrics like salary or consumer influence.
Zeynep Tufekci's quote highlights a fundamental issue in modern society where the intrinsic value of an individual is often overlooked and instead evaluated based on superficial metrics such as income or material possessions. This reductionist view undermines the complexity of humanity and the rich experiences that shape a person's life, thereby inviting a deeper consideration of how we define worth beyond mere numbers.
Themes
ValueHumanityWorthLifeSocietyMetrics
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on ethical leadership, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of recognizing and valuing individual contributions beyond financial metrics.
More from Zeynep Tufekci
All quotes βGiven exponential growth dynamics of infectious diseases, containing an epidemic is straightforward early on, but nearly impossible once a disease spreads among a population.
Zeynep TufekciRead
Remember, the Internet did not create freedom of speech; in theory, we always had freedom of speech - it's just that it often went along with the freedom to be ignored. People had no access to the infrastructure to be heard.
Zeynep TufekciRead
Attention, to a terrorist group, is often what the well-meaning, outraged response is to your two-bit Internet troll: it is the food that feeds them.
Zeynep TufekciRead
You might be tempted to think that China has a Streisand-effect problem, in which trying to censor an event creates even more publicity. But that assumes the Chinese government doesn't understand the Streisand effect, and that can't be right, because if one government understands attention dynamics online, it's China's.
Zeynep TufekciRead
A 'fair' fight between non-equals is not fair, and being blind to power is an implicit endorsement of the powerful.
Zeynep TufekciRead
Similar quotes
[M]en will be free no longer then while they remain virtuous.
Samuel AdamsRead
Old deeds for old people, and new deeds for new.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Man can find meaning in life only through devoting himself to society.
Albert EinsteinRead
The fact that we can't easily foresee clues that would betray an intelligence a million millennia farther down the road suggests that we're like ants trying to discover humans. Ask yourself: Would ants ever recognize houses, cars, or fire hydrants as the work of advanced biology?
Seth ShostakRead
In our culture, snails are not considered valiant animals - we are constantly exhorting people to "come out of their shells" - but there's a lot to be said for taking your home with you wherever you go.
Susan CainRead
Like a child who suddenly stops sobbing when he is clasped in the arms of his mother, such will be the grip of heaven upon our souls.
Ravi ZachariasRead