--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People - especially the geeks who created…" description: "\"People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended to look at the Internet as something that's hermetically sealed: there's the Internet and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg" --- # People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended… ![“People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended to look at the Internet as something that's hermetically sealed: there's the Internet and the rest of the world. But that's not how people want to use the Internet. They want to use it as a way of better navigating the real world.” quote by Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg) > “People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended to look at the Internet as something that's hermetically sealed: there's the Internet and the rest of the world. But that's not how people want to use the Internet. They want to use it as a way of better navigating the real world.” [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People view the Internet as isolated, yet they want it to enhance real‑world navigation. **In simple terms:** Internet should aid real life. Key Takeaway Use tech to improve daily life. Themes technology real world navigation Mood optimistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - urban planning - travel apps - education tools Key Concepts integration pragmatism Practical Applications - Assumes universal desire for practical use. Questions to Reflect On - world A Different Perspective How can we bridge online and offline experiences?;What barriers exist? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Geeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geeks/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Sealed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sealed/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I get very bored easily. I'm a child of the Internet or whatever; I want more and more of new and interesting things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washed-out/i-get-very-bored-easily-i-m-a-child-of-the-internet-or-whatever-i/) [Washed Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washed-out/) > [Anything you do on the Internet, I want you to be able to do on MySpace. That's the goal and ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/anything-you-do-on-the-internet-i-want-you-to-be-able-to-do-on/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) > [“Internet: What do you want for your birthday? Virtual Cole: to stay young forever Cole texted me: Actually I want you ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/internet-what-do-you-want-for-your-birthday-virtual-cole-to-stay/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [On the internet, you can be anything you want. It's strange that so many people choose to be stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/on-the-internet-you-can-be-anything-you-want-it-s-strange-that-so/) Pacifiersucker > [On the Internet you can be whatever you want! I mean, besides successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/on-the-internet-you-can-be-whatever-you-want-i-mean-besides-successful/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [On internet you can be anything you want, its strange that so many people choose to be stupid...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-internet-you-can-be-anything-you-want-its-strange-that-so-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We don't really want to be the 'Late Night' of the Internet. We want to have one foot in the mainstream, one foot in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-evans/we-don-t-really-want-to-be-the-late-night-of-the-internet-we-want-to/) [Sean Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-evans/) > [The terrible thing about the Internet and Amazon is that they take the magic and happy chaos out of book shopping. The Internet might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-terrible-thing-about-the-internet-and-amazon-is-that-they-take/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The main thing I want to do, is to make our website the most entertaining website there is on the Internet. I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/the-main-thing-i-want-to-do-is-to-make-our-website-the-most/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [A lot of association on the internet is highly constructive. There are people interacting, interchanging ideas, making plans, coordinating activities; take any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-lot-of-association-on-the-internet-is-highly-constructive-there-are/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I want more Internet. I want every one of the 6 billion people on the planet to be able to connect to the Internet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/i-want-more-internet-i-want-every-one-of-the-6-billion-people-on-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [I'm not a politician, and I do not think I am as effective in this way as people who actually prepare for it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-m-not-a-politician-and-i-do-not-think-i-am-as-effective-in-this-way/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [All I know is that I'm on that show every week and I'm, like, a big deal on the Internet. What more could I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-hatcher/all-i-know-is-that-i-m-on-that-show-every-week-and-i-m-like-a-big/) [Teri Hatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-hatcher/) > [ I said to Ramona \[my daughter\] once ... you should never look yourself up on the Internet. It's something I've learned. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gyllenhaal/i-said-to-ramona-my-daughter-once-you-should-never-look-yourself-up/) [Maggie Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gyllenhaal/) > [I don't want to be critiqued about the way that I look on the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia/i-don-t-want-to-be-critiqued-about-the-way-that-i-look-on-the-internet/) [Sia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia/) ## More by Alex Steffen > [If mass media, social isolation in the suburbs, alienating workplaces and long car commutes create a bunker mentality, the Internet does the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/if-mass-media-social-isolation-in-the-suburbs-alienating-workplaces/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [By looking at climate change as a clean energy generation problem, we're setting ourselves up not to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/by-looking-at-climate-change-as-a-clean-energy-generation-problem-we/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [Cities generate most of the global economy, and most of its energy use, resource demands and climate emissions. How we build cities over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/cities-generate-most-of-the-global-economy-and-most-of-its-energy-use/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [You don't change the world by hiding in the woods, wearing a hair shirt, or buying indulgences in the form of 'Save the Earth'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/you-don-t-change-the-world-by-hiding-in-the-woods-wearing-a-hair/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [There are a lot of different ways of building a prosperous society, and some of them use much less energy than others. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/there-are-a-lot-of-different-ways-of-building-a-prosperous-society/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [The brutal reality is that newer, more sprawling suburbs - and especially the cheap boom-years exburbs - aren't just a bit unsustainable, they're ruinously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/the-brutal-reality-is-that-newer-more-sprawling-suburbs-and/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [Cities are responsible for the vast majority of the creation of the economy. They're also places into which we pour the vast majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/cities-are-responsible-for-the-vast-majority-of-the-creation-of-the/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [It's not that hard to imagine the natural world recovering it's health in our absence: it's more difficult, and more necessary, to imagine it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/it-s-not-that-hard-to-imagine-the-natural-world-recovering-it-s/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [There's no law of physics that says we have to be an unsustainable society - in fact, quite the opposite. The planet's ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/there-s-no-law-of-physics-that-says-we-have-to-be-an-unsustainable/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [We don't know yet how to build a society which is environmentally sustainable, which is shareable with everybody on the planet, which promotes stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/we-don-t-know-yet-how-to-build-a-society-which-is-environmentally/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [Cabbies in particular seem to like discussing the fate the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/cabbies-in-particular-seem-to-like-discussing-the-fate-the-earth/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [I think there's a gigantic generation gap in terms of how people understand the Internet and how much they think technology is an important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/i-think-there-s-a-gigantic-generation-gap-in-terms-of-how-people/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [Climate change is not a discrete issue; it's a symptom of larger problems. Fundamentally, our society as currently designed has no future. We're chewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/climate-change-is-not-a-discrete-issue-it-s-a-symptom-of-larger/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [We have to craft new political realities, not only in places like India, Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, but here at home as well. Another world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/we-have-to-craft-new-political-realities-not-only-in-places-like/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) > [It is very possible to have lives that are just as prosperous, and nicer, that use 5 percent of the fossil fuels and virgin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/it-is-very-possible-to-have-lives-that-are-just-as-prosperous-and/) [Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) [Explore all 63 Alex Steffen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/) ## More Better quotes > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/) [Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The Little you Give !! The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/) [Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/) [Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/) > [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/) [Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/) > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/) [Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/) > [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/) [Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/) Browse all 17,085 Better quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended to look at the Internet as something that's hermetically sealed: there's the Internet and the rest of the world. But that's not how people want to use the Internet. They want to use it as a way of better navigating the real world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alex Steffen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/people-especially-the-geeks-who-created-it-have-tended-to-look-at-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Better" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/people-especially-the-geeks-who-created-it-have-tended-to-look-at-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/alex-steffen-10872_better_people-especially-the-geeks-who-created_1370659.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People - especially the geeks who created it - have tended to look at the Internet as something that's…” — Alex Steffen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alex Steffen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People - especially the geeks who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/people-especially-the-geeks-who-created-it-have-tended-to-look-at-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/people-especially-the-geeks-who-created-it-have-tended-to-look-at-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```