---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the other hand, the Internet is there…"
description: "\"On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs that people have for information and socialization. We get this sort of identification thing goi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg"
---

#  On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs…

![“On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs that people have for information and socialization. We get this sort of identification thing going on nowadays because it's a very fractious time. We live in a time of troubles.” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg)

> “On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs that people have for information and socialization. We get this sort of identification thing going on nowadays because it's a very fractious time. We live in a time of troubles.”

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

## About This Quote

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

The Internet serves as a platform to satisfy human desires for knowledge and connection, especially during turbulent periods.

**In simple terms:** People use the web to get info and socialize, especially now.

Key Takeaway

Leverage online tools to stay informed and connected.

Themes

information socialization conflict technology

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- political activism
- remote work
- online education
- community building
- crisis communication

Key Concepts

digital media human needs social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does online socialization affect real‑world relationships?
- What responsibilities do platforms have during societal unrest?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on digital interaction can deepen isolation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Identification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identification/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Socialization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-socialization-4682977/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-needs-3292025/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-people/) [Nowadays Fractious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nowadays-fractious-4682978/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Socialization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialization/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Times of trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-of-trouble/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/)

## Related quotes

> [I feel like the Internet needs to be disarmed in some way. There needs to be a philosophical undermining of the Internet. We take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-feel-like-the-internet-needs-to-be-disarmed-in-some-way-there-needs/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

> [Our children need socialization with their peers and playing sports is a large part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/our-children-need-socialization-with-their-peers-and-playing-sports/)

[Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/)

> [Even though fathers, grandparents, siblings, memories of ancestors are important agents of socialization, our society focuses on the attributes and characteristics of mothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/even-though-fathers-grandparents-siblings-memories-of-ancestors-are/)

[Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-lawrence-lightfoot/)

> [It is true that the welfare-statists are not socialists, that they never advocated or intended the socialization of private property, that they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-is-true-that-the-welfare-statists-are-not-socialists-that-they/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Wouldn't we all rather have the possibility of finding pleasure and delight in literally anything we might encounter? Instead of assuming that actually there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/wouldn-t-we-all-rather-have-the-possibility-of-finding-pleasure-and/)

[Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/)

> [“The students would burn out if forced to spend their entire day amidst the social intensity of the cafeteria and hallway. Fortunately the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-students-would-burn-out-if-forced-to-spend-their-entire-day/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [There are certain functions that the family performs. In the first place the family provides society with an orderly means of reproduction, while at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-wilson/there-are-certain-functions-that-the-family-performs-in-the-first/)

[Adrian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-wilson/)

> [There has to be innate circuitry that does the learning, that creates the culture, that acquires the culture, and that responds to socialization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/there-has-to-be-innate-circuitry-that-does-the-learning-that-creates/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“Most human beings would have never been pained by the death of a human being if they had never seen a human being or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-human-beings-would-have-never-been-pained-by-the-death-of-a/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/i-am-not-what-i-think-i-am-and-i-am-not-what-you-think-i-am-i-am-what/)

[Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/)

> [We will no longer be led only by that half of the population whose socialization, through toys, games, values and expectations, sanctions violence as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-scott-heide/we-will-no-longer-be-led-only-by-that-half-of-the-population-whose/)

[Wilma Scott Heide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-scott-heide/)

> [Our normal expectations about reality are created by a social consensus. We are taught how to see and understand the world. The trick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/our-normal-expectations-about-reality-are-created-by-a-social/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [Liberalism makes this mistake in regard to private property and Marxism makes it in regard to socialized property... The Marxist illusion is partly derived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/liberalism-makes-this-mistake-in-regard-to-private-property-and/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

> [“The essence of socialization is to make people dependent on social controls, to have them respond predictably to rewards and punishments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/csikszentmihaly/the-essence-of-socialization-is-to-make-people-dependent-on-social/)

[Csikszentmihaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/csikszentmihaly/)

> [High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/high-testosterone-levels-have-been-proven-to-make-men-more-likely-to/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

## More by Edward Snowden

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [The NSA and Israel wrote Stuxnet together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-nsa-and-israel-wrote-stuxnet-together/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/as-a-general-rule-so-long-as-you-have-any-choice-at-all-you-should/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [We need to think about encryption not as this sort of arcane, black art. It's a basic protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-need-to-think-about-encryption-not-as-this-sort-of-arcane-black/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-lot-of-people-in-2008-voted-for-obama-i-did-not-vote-for-him-i/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Too often we forget that social and political movements don't happen overnight. They don't bring change immediately - you have to build a critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/too-often-we-forget-that-social-and-political-movements-don-t-happen/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [ There was a real choice when \[Barack Obama\] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obama-became-president-it-was-a/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [We've learned that we've allowed technological capabilities to dictate policies and practices, rather than ensuring that our laws and values guide our technological capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-ve-learned-that-we-ve-allowed-technological-capabilities-to/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [It's much easier, I think, to protect communications while they're in transit at least, than it is to enforce legislation in every country in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-easier-i-think-to-protect-communications-while-they-re-in/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can't allow the law to become a political weapon or agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-care-more-about-the-country-than-what-happens-to-me-but-we-can-t/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

[Explore all 478 Edward Snowden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

## More Hands quotes

> [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/)

[Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/)

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/)

[Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/)

> [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/)

[Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [“for they are all the work of his hands?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan/for-they-are-all-the-work-of-his-hands/)

[Zondervan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan/)

> [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [My happiness is in my hands not between another person hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/my-happiness-is-in-my-hands-not-between-another-person-hands/)

[Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/)

[Browse all 18,228 Hands quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs that people have for information and socialization. We get this sort of identification thing going on nowadays because it's a very fractious time. We live in a time of troubles.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Snowden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there-to-fill-needs-that-people/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hands"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there-to-fill-needs-that-people/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/171/edward-snowden-555_hands_on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there_566177.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the other hand, the Internet is there to fill needs that people have for information and socialization…” — Edward Snowden",
                "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": "Edward Snowden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On the other hand, the Internet...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there-to-fill-needs-that-people/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/on-the-other-hand-the-internet-is-there-to-fill-needs-that-people/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
