---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cultural products will spread faster and…"
description: "\"“Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It suggests that the future of many hit-making mar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg"
---

#  Cultural products will spread faster and wider when…

![“Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It suggests that the future of many hit-making markets will be fully open, radically transparent, and very, very unequal.” quote by Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg)

> ““Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It suggests that the future of many hit-making markets will be fully open, radically transparent, and very, very unequal.””

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The statement predicts that open, transparent sharing of cultural products will accelerate their spread, creating markets that are highly visible yet increasingly unequal.

**In simple terms:** Open sharing speeds diffusion but deepens inequality.

Key Takeaway

Promote fairness while embracing openness.

Themes

technology culture economics inequality

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

critical predictive

When to use this quote

- advertising
- music streaming
- film distribution
- social media

Key Concepts

network effects market dynamics transparency digital platforms

Questions to Reflect On

- Will transparency always benefit creators?
- How can we mitigate resulting inequality?

A Different Perspective

It may ignore the role of quality and curation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cultural Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-products-2508012/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Forecast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forecast/) [Future Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-hit-2508013/) [Hits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hits/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Prediction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prediction/) [Products Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products-spread-2508010/) [Radically Transparent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radically-transparent-2421276/) [Wider Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wider-everybody-2508011/)

## Related quotes

> [Above all else, products spread when they're useful and they're usable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-systrom/above-all-else-products-spread-when-they-re-useful-and-they-re-usable/)

[Kevin Systrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-systrom/)

> [“Be radically open-minded and radically transparent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/be-radically-open-minded-and-radically-transparent/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [“Understanding what is true is essential for success, and being radically transparent about everything, including mistakes and weaknesses, helps create the understanding that leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/understanding-what-is-true-is-essential-for-success-and-being/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [You have to put yourself in my shoes as a person who believes in radical truth and in being radically transparent, not in seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/you-have-to-put-yourself-in-my-shoes-as-a-person-who-believes-in/)

[Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/)

> [Pundits forecast not because they know, but because they are asked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/pundits-forecast-not-because-they-know-but-because-they-are-asked/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Give me the character and I will forecast the event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/give-me-the-character-and-i-will-forecast-the-event/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [I do not forecast playing until 38 or 39.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kroos/i-do-not-forecast-playing-until-38-or-39/)

[Toni Kroos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kroos/)

> [“I nee to reason for a plague, ... As far as I know no comets or eclipses have been forecast, and our sins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-nee-to-reason-for-a-plague-as-far-as-i-know-no-comets-or-eclipses/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Whenever I see a forecast written out to two decimal places, I cannot help but wonder if there is a misunderstanding of the limitations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/whenever-i-see-a-forecast-written-out-to-two-decimal-places-i-cannot/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [“When I plan, I don't forecast failure, no matter the climate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mullings/when-i-plan-i-don-t-forecast-failure-no-matter-the-climate/)

[Jay Mullings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mullings/)

> [It is not for us to forecast the future, but to shape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/it-is-not-for-us-to-forecast-the-future-but-to-shape-it/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Some things, like the orbits of the planets, can be calculated far into the future. But that's atypical. In most contexts, there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/some-things-like-the-orbits-of-the-planets-can-be-calculated-far-into/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [“predictions can’t vary more than the thing being forecast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-h-thaler/predictions-can-t-vary-more-than-the-thing-being-forecast/)

[Richard H. Thaler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-h-thaler/)

> [No one can forecast the economy with certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/no-one-can-forecast-the-economy-with-certainty/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [“Vision is the foresight or forecast or insight into the future. Vision is the picture of one's destiny or accomplishment, or simply what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/vision-is-the-foresight-or-forecast-or-insight-into-the-future-vision/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

## More by Derek Thompson

> [“Posting dramatic charts or funny pictures is good and giving people smart reasons to believe what they already think is great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/posting-dramatic-charts-or-funny-pictures-is-good-and-giving-people/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“The trick is learning to frame your new ideas as tweaks of old ideas, to mix a little fluency with a little disfluency—to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/the-trick-is-learning-to-frame-your-new-ideas-as-tweaks-of-old-ideas/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“Picking a few hits requires a tolerance for many bad ideas, mediocre ideas, and even good ideas cursed with bad timing. Above all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/picking-a-few-hits-requires-a-tolerance-for-many-bad-ideas-mediocre/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“Imitating recent successes is a game that everybody knows how to play. But seeing the next big thing before anybody else sees it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/imitating-recent-successes-is-a-game-that-everybody-knows-how-to-play/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“The most important element in a global cascade isn’t magically viral elements or mystical influencers. Rather it is about finding a group of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/the-most-important-element-in-a-global-cascade-isn-t-magically-viral/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“His lullaby was an instant success not because it was incomparably original, but because it offered a familiar melody in an original setting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/his-lullaby-was-an-instant-success-not-because-it-was-incomparably/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“Some consumers buy products not because they are ‘better” in any way, but simply because they are popular. What they’re buying is not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/some-consumers-buy-products-not-because-they-are-better-in-any-way/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“It is the simplest phrase you can imagine,” Favreau said, “three monosyllabic words that people say to each other every day.” But the speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/it-is-the-simplest-phrase-you-can-imagine-favreau-said-three/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“The line from psychologists is, if you’ve seen it before, it hasn’t killed you yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/the-line-from-psychologists-is-if-you-ve-seen-it-before-it-hasn-t/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“People have all day to talk about what makes them ordinary. It turns out that they want to share what makes them weird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/people-have-all-day-to-talk-about-what-makes-them-ordinary-it-turns/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“The mark of a good book is that you're happy to come home to it. The mark of a great book is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/the-mark-of-a-good-book-is-that-you-re-happy-to-come-home-to-it-the/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“In the psychology of aesthetics, there is a name for the moment between the anxiety of confronting something new and the satisfying click of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/in-the-psychology-of-aesthetics-there-is-a-name-for-the-moment/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“In 2012, Spanish researchers released a study that looked at 464,411 popular recordings around the world between 1955 and 2010 and found the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/in-2012-spanish-researchers-released-a-study-that-looked-at-464-411/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“It is not merely the feeling that something is familiar. It is one step beyond that. It is something new, challenging, or surprising that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/it-is-not-merely-the-feeling-that-something-is-familiar-it-is-one/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

> [“It is tempting to say, as my friend suggested, that these online identities are caricatures of the real me. It is certainly true that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/it-is-tempting-to-say-as-my-friend-suggested-that-these-online/)

[Derek Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

[Explore all 19 Derek Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/)

## More Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [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/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It suggests that the future of many hit-making markets will be fully open, radically transparent, and very, very unequal.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Derek Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and-wider-when-everybody-can-see/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and-wider-when-everybody-can-see/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/394/derek-thompson-28118_culture_cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and_252501.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Cultural products will spread faster and wider when everybody can see what everybody else is doing. It…” — Derek Thompson",
                "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": "Derek Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Cultural products will spread faster and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and-wider-when-everybody-can-see/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-thompson/cultural-products-will-spread-faster-and-wider-when-everybody-can-see/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
