--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the digital universe, our personal…" description: "\"In the digital universe, our personal history and its sense of narrative is succeeded by our social networking profile - a snapshot of the current mome..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg" --- # In the digital universe, our personal history and its… ![“In the digital universe, our personal history and its sense of narrative is succeeded by our social networking profile - a snapshot of the current moment. The information itself - our social graph of friends and likes - is a product being sold to market researchers in order to better predict and…” quote by Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg) > “In the digital universe, our personal history and its sense of narrative is succeeded by our social networking profile - a snapshot of the current moment. The information itself - our social graph of friends and likes - is a product being sold to market researchers in order to better predict and guide our futures.” [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our personal narratives are replaced by social media snapshots, which become data sold to predict and shape our futures. **In simple terms:** Social profiles now dictate our story and are commodified. Key Takeaway Recognize and protect your narrative data. Themes digital identity privacy data commodification Mood critical analytical Type cautionary observational When to use this quote - online dating - career branding - targeted advertising - political campaigning Key Concepts sociology media studies economics Questions to Reflect On - How much of your story is truly yours? - Who controls the narrative of your life? A Different Perspective Data can be manipulated, limiting authentic self‑expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Graph Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graph-friends-1037698/) [Graphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphs/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-social-1037697/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Networking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/networking/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Our future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-future/) [Personal history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-history/) [Profile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profile/) [Profile Snapshot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profile-snapshot-1037699/) [Researchers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/researchers/) [Snapshots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snapshots/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Graph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-graph-357769/) [Social networking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-networking/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [If Facebook gets your entire social graph, you don't necessarily want to share everything with your entire social graph. You might wanna parse that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/if-facebook-gets-your-entire-social-graph-you-don-t-necessarily-want/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [To effectively leverage the social graph, every company needs to understand that they need to make their information easily transferable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-qualman/to-effectively-leverage-the-social-graph-every-company-needs-to/) [Erik Qualman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-qualman/) > [The company that creates one global social graph will be very important going forward. It will be Facebook, with maybe 2-3 local social networks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-company-that-creates-one-global-social-graph-will-be-very/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) > [Facebook isn't helping you make new connections, Facebook doesn't develop new relationships, Facebook is just trying to be the most accurate model of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/facebook-isn-t-helping-you-make-new-connections-facebook-doesn-t/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [Think about spam filters; if email didnt come from someone that someone you know knows, thats an important signal, and one we could embed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/think-about-spam-filters-if-email-didnt-come-from-someone-that/) [Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/) > [One thing we seem to be missing is that just as we no longer search for the news, the news finds us today (e.g.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-qualman/one-thing-we-seem-to-be-missing-is-that-just-as-we-no-longer-search/) [Erik Qualman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-qualman/) > [The information you get from social media is not a substitute for academic discipline at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-information-you-get-from-social-media-is-not-a-substitute-for/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“THE NEW GENERATION TODAY LACKS the patience to see things through. This has something to do with the way we’re consuming information from social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/think-maverick/the-new-generation-today-lacks-the-patience-to-see-things-through/) [Think Maverick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/think-maverick/) > [Let our information and social technologies raise awareness and not propaganda, build connections and not passive-aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/let-our-information-and-social-technologies-raise-awareness-and-not/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Contrary to widespread faith in "communication" and "knowledge transfer," information has a social life, and unless new insights are embedded in the social system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pascale/contrary-to-widespread-faith-in-communication-and-knowledge-transfer/) [Richard Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pascale/) > [I don't want to pretend that I only focus on social media to do my job, but it is a very important complement to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-henry/i-don-t-want-to-pretend-that-i-only-focus-on-social-media-to-do-my/) [Ed Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-henry/) > [Facebook has never been merely a social platform. Rather, it exploits our social interactions the way a Tupperware party does. Facebook does not exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/facebook-has-never-been-merely-a-social-platform-rather-it-exploits/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Google created the intent graph. Facebook created the social graph. We are creating the emotional graph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/google-created-the-intent-graph-facebook-created-the-social-graph-we/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [Facebook has stitched together your social graph. The idea of an interest graph is to bring together everyone that has shared interests. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/facebook-has-stitched-together-your-social-graph-the-idea-of-an/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [Facebook is the social graph with the organizing principle around your friends and your social life. LinkedIn is the professional graph, organized around you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rosensweig/facebook-is-the-social-graph-with-the-organizing-principle-around/) [Dan Rosensweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rosensweig/) ## More by Douglas Rushkoff > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“And spend they did. Money circulated faster and spread wider through its communities of use than at any other time in economic history.8 Workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/and-spend-they-did-money-circulated-faster-and-spread-wider-through/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Occupy Wall Street is meant more as a way of life that spreads through contagion, creates as many questions as it answers, aims to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/occupy-wall-street-is-meant-more-as-a-way-of-life-that-spreads/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Time has always been used against us on a certain level. The invention of the clock made us accountable to the employer, gave us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/time-has-always-been-used-against-us-on-a-certain-level-the-invention/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [What makes a great standalone piece of hardware is not the same thing as what makes a great networking device. One can work as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/what-makes-a-great-standalone-piece-of-hardware-is-not-the-same-thing/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Digiphrenia - how technology lets us be in more than one place - and self - at the same time. Drone pilots suffer more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digiphrenia-how-technology-lets-us-be-in-more-than-one-place-and-self/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [A currency designed for long-term storage and investment doesn't do so well at encouraging transactions and exchange in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/a-currency-designed-for-long-term-storage-and-investment-doesn-t-do/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Since the 1960s, mainstream media has searched out and co-opted the most authentic things it could find in youth culture, whether that was psychedelic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/since-the-1960s-mainstream-media-has-searched-out-and-co-opted-the/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Children are being adultified because our economy is depending on them to make purchasing decisions. So they're essentially the victims of a marketing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/children-are-being-adultified-because-our-economy-is-depending-on/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [In spite of my own reservations about Bing's ability to convert Google users, I have to admit that the search engine does offer a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-spite-of-my-own-reservations-about-bing-s-ability-to-convert/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“Limbic consonance is the little-known process through which the mood of a room changes when a happy or nervous person walks in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/limbic-consonance-is-the-little-known-process-through-which-the-mood/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/think-game-of-thrones-in-the-old-days-this-sort-of-show-might-be/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [We have the alternative. "Do I want to be on the subway looking at these people, or do I want to be in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/we-have-the-alternative-do-i-want-to-be-on-the-subway-looking-at/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Digiphrenia”—the way our media and technologies encourage us to be in more than one place at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digiphrenia-the-way-our-media-and-technologies-encourage-us-to-be-in/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) [Explore all 180 Douglas Rushkoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) ## More Currents quotes > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I earn my living by teaching film, mostly filmmaking but also teaching courses on current cinema. I'm interested in movies. I hope that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-andersen/i-earn-my-living-by-teaching-film-mostly-filmmaking-but-also-teaching/) [Thom Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-andersen/) > [I think that's the beauty of the current setup, is that Legends is meant to be a bit of a revolving door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-the-current-setup-is-that-legends-is/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Something I like to do a lot is just sit by water when there’s a current and just stare into the water. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Read things you're sure will disagree with your current thinking. If you're a die-hard anti-animal person, read Meat. If you're a die-hard global warming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/read-things-you-re-sure-will-disagree-with-your-current-thinking-if/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [All becomes easy when we follow the current of opinion; it is the ruler of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/all-becomes-easy-when-we-follow-the-current-of-opinion-it-is-the/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Donald Trump said he will not decide about a possible run for the presidency until after the current season of Celebrity Apprentice wraps up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/donald-trump-said-he-will-not-decide-about-a-possible-run-for-the/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) [Browse all 2,019 Currents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the digital universe, our personal history and its sense of narrative is succeeded by our social networking profile - a snapshot of the current moment. The information itself - our social graph of friends and likes - is a product being sold to market researchers in order to better predict and guide our futures.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Rushkoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-history-and-its-sense-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Currents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-history-and-its-sense-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f92/douglas-rushkoff-2188_currents_in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-his_2498657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the digital universe, our personal history and its sense of narrative is succeeded by our social…” — Douglas Rushkoff", "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": "Douglas Rushkoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the digital universe, our personal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-history-and-its-sense-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/in-the-digital-universe-our-personal-history-and-its-sense-of/#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 } } ] } ```