--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A screen of some kind had appeared…" description: "\"“A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and they had started regarding one another as objects. Investment objects. What kind of return will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg" --- # A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and… ![“A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and they had started regarding one another as objects. Investment objects. What kind of return will my conversation with this person bring me?” quote by Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg) > ““A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and they had started regarding one another as objects. Investment objects. What kind of return will my conversation with this person bring me?”” [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology creates a barrier turning people into objects, prompting a transactional view of conversation and its value. **In simple terms:** Tech turns people into objects, making talk transactional. Key Takeaway Seek genuine connection beyond utility. Themes technology objectification conversation value Mood reflective critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - online dating - social media - networking events - customer service Key Concepts philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain authenticity online? - What value do you find in real conversations? A Different Perspective Not all tech is dehumanizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) ## Related quotes > [“NONVERSATION—noun: a conversation in which one person isn’t paying attention to what the other person is saying, generally due to lack of interest or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/nonversation-noun-a-conversation-in-which-one-person-isn-t-paying/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [“He was one of those people who constantly seems to be having a conversation with someone other than the person he’s actually talking to—presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/he-was-one-of-those-people-who-constantly-seems-to-be-having-a/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [That awkward moment when you're trying to end a conversation and the other person won't stop talking!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soveryawkward/that-awkward-moment-when-you-re-trying-to-end-a-conversation-and-the/) [SoVeryAwkward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soveryawkward/) > [I like to think of my work as creating a private conversation with each person, no matter how public each work is and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-like-to-think-of-my-work-as-creating-a-private-conversation-with/) [Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/) > [Halfway into a conversation with a person and all I can think about is,damn I wish I could rememer what their name is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikkileigh321/halfway-into-a-conversation-with-a-person-and-all-i-can-think-about/) Nikkileigh321 > [Loose the conversation not the person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prateek/loose-the-conversation-not-the-person/) Prateek > [“It is a lovely oddity of human nature that a person is more inclined to interrupt two people in conversation than one person alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/it-is-a-lovely-oddity-of-human-nature-that-a-person-is-more-inclined/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“But I gotta tell you, I just think to look across this room and automatically assume that somebody else is less aware than me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/but-i-gotta-tell-you-i-just-think-to-look-across-this-room-and/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) ## More by Arne Dahl > [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [“There was no world outside of economics. And without that free zone, the coast was clear to treat people however you wanted. The number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/there-was-no-world-outside-of-economics-and-without-that-free-zone/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [“It was money that earned money now, not work, and that money had to have originally come from somewhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/it-was-money-that-earned-money-now-not-work-and-that-money-had-to/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [“in order for money to make money, it needed to be big money. But, of course, ordinary people didn’t have big money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/in-order-for-money-to-make-money-it-needed-to-be-big-money-but-of/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) [Explore all 5 Arne Dahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) Yoram Wind > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and they had started regarding one another as objects. Investment objects. What kind of return will my conversation with this person bring me?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arne Dahl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-between-people-and-they-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-between-people-and-they-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/arne-dahl-64089_communication_a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-betwe_2703678.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A screen of some kind had appeared between people, and they had started regarding one another as objects…” — Arne Dahl", "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": "Arne Dahl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A screen of some kind had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-between-people-and-they-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/a-screen-of-some-kind-had-appeared-between-people-and-they-had/#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 } } ] } ```