--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If instantaneity is what we want…" description: "\"If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot compete with cyberspace.\" — James Gleick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg" --- # If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot… ![“If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot compete with cyberspace.” quote by James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg) > “If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot compete with cyberspace.” [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Instant communication demands immediacy, making traditional TV too slow to compete with the rapid, interactive nature of the internet. **In simple terms:** TV is too slow for instant needs. Key Takeaway Adapt to faster media. Themes media technology speed Mood analytical critical Type observational technological When to use this quote - social media - live streaming - news alerts - online education Key Concepts digital communication attention economy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance speed and depth? - What media best fits your needs? A Different Perspective Internet overload can reduce depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cannot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannot/) [Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete/) [Compete Cyberspace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete-cyberspace-4511612/) [Cyberspace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cyberspace/) [Instantaneity Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instantaneity-want-4511614/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Television Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-compete-4511613/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-television-475788/) ## Related quotes > [Basic dictionaries no longer belong on paper; the greatest, the 'Oxford English Dictionary,' has nimbly remade itself in cyberspace, where it has doubled in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/basic-dictionaries-no-longer-belong-on-paper-the-greatest-the-oxford/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Cyberspace as a mode of being will never go away. We live in cyberspace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/cyberspace-as-a-mode-of-being-will-never-go-away-we-live-in-cyberspace/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [In cyberspace, the Wikipedians never stop gathering: It's a continuous round-the-clock rolling workfest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/in-cyberspace-the-wikipedians-never-stop-gathering-it-s-a-continuous/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Cyberspace, especially, draws us into the instant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/cyberspace-especially-draws-us-into-the-instant/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [You know what I want? The answer is, I truly don't know what I want. I don't want to do a television series. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/you-know-what-i-want-the-answer-is-i-truly-don-t-know-what-i-want-i/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I feel that, at this point in my career, I don't want to do another television show. I don't want to do a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/i-feel-that-at-this-point-in-my-career-i-don-t-want-to-do-another/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [I don't, frankly, want to be on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/i-don-t-frankly-want-to-be-on-television/) [George T. Conway III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-t-conway-iii/) > [I want television and film to reflect what the world is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/i-want-television-and-film-to-reflect-what-the-world-is/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [That makes entertaining television. That is the circus of American Idol . We go for the very, very best and the very, very worst.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/that-makes-entertaining-television-that-is-the-circus-of-american/) [Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/) > [I didn't want to do television at all. I really didn't want to do it. I really thought I was just going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morse/i-didn-t-want-to-do-television-at-all-i-really-didn-t-want-to-do-it-i/) [David Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morse/) > [This whole thing about reality television to me is really indicative of America saying we're not satisfied just watching television, we want to star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/this-whole-thing-about-reality-television-to-me-is-really-indicative/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Television isn't inherently good or bad. You go to a bookstore, there are how many thousands of books, but how many of those do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/television-isn-t-inherently-good-or-bad-you-go-to-a-bookstore-there/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [I look at television as a giant commercial for promoting this mission that I'm on. It's the best way for me to show that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-combs/i-look-at-television-as-a-giant-commercial-for-promoting-this-mission/) [Jessi Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-combs/) > [Frankly, I didn't want to do a television series because of the grind mainly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/frankly-i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-television-series-because-of-the-grind/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) > [I want to do television, film, music and designing. I want to do it all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanel-iman/i-want-to-do-television-film-music-and-designing-i-want-to-do-it-all/) [Chanel Iman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanel-iman/) ## More by James Gleick > [When the Lilliputians first saw Gulliver's watch, that "wonderful kind of engine...a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal," they identified it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/when-the-lilliputians-first-saw-gulliver-s-watch-that-wonderful-kind/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodynamically-in-systems-involving/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“No one has even a definitive spelling for Cawdrey’s name (Cowdrey, Cawdry). But then, no one agreed on the spelling of most names: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/no-one-has-even-a-definitive-spelling-for-cawdrey-s-name-cowdrey/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Where, then, is any particular gene—say, the gene for long legs in humans? This is a little like asking where is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/where-then-is-any-particular-gene-say-the-gene-for-long-legs-in/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/as-a-technology-the-book-is-like-a-hammer-that-is-to-say-it-is/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [The universe is computing its own destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-universe-is-computing-its-own-destiny/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“From this point of view, the laws of science represent data compression in action. A theoretical physicist acts like a very clever coding algorithm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/from-this-point-of-view-the-laws-of-science-represent-data/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Children and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/children-and-scientists-share-an-outlook-on-life-if-i-do-this-what/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/your-body-moves-always-in-the-present-the-dividing-line-between-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [People worry about Twitter. Twitter is banal. It's 140-character messages. By definition, you can hardly say anything profound. On the other hand, we communicate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-banal-it-s-140-character/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The Difference Engine stands—for a replica works today, in the Science Museum in London—as a milestone of what could be achieved in precision engineering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-difference-engine-stands-for-a-replica-works-today-in-the-science/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [It is significant that one says book lover and music lover and art lover but not record lover or CD lover or, conversely, text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/it-is-significant-that-one-says-book-lover-and-music-lover-and-art/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“quoting Tolstoy: “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/quoting-tolstoy-i-know-that-most-men-including-those-at-ease-with/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Explore all 157 James Gleick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## More Cannot quotes > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [The book is not simply the object that one holds in one's hands, and it cannot remain within the little parallelpiped that contains it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/the-book-is-not-simply-the-object-that-one-holds-in-one-s-hands-and/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Visaaranai' reflects a stark reality from which you cannot shut yourself out: that is its success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/visaaranai-reflects-a-stark-reality-from-which-you-cannot-shut/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) > [When you put more than a million kids in school, you take a plane today and go to Haiti, you cannot see the results.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martelly/when-you-put-more-than-a-million-kids-in-school-you-take-a-plane/) [Michel Martelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martelly/) > [We cannot stop anyone from criticising us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/we-cannot-stop-anyone-from-criticising-us/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The Brazilians are amazing in their nature. You cannot describe it; you must feel that warmth when you're around them to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/the-brazilians-are-amazing-in-their-nature-you-cannot-describe-it-you/) [Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/) > [The two things you cannot do effectively on stage are pray and copulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-two-things-you-cannot-do-effectively-on-stage-are-pray-and/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [Liberty does not exist where rights are on one side and power on the other. To be liberty, rights must be armed with vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/liberty-does-not-exist-where-rights-are-on-one-side-and-power-on-the/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) > [The reason I fight is to provide for my family, and I cannot risk having that taken away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/the-reason-i-fight-is-to-provide-for-my-family-and-i-cannot-risk/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [We cannot have players who don't give their soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/we-cannot-have-players-who-don-t-give-their-soul/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [I cannot do confrontation. You know that fight or flight thing? I'm flight. I just don't want the argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-saunders/i-cannot-do-confrontation-you-know-that-fight-or-flight-thing-i-m/) [Jennifer Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-saunders/) > [Rahul Gandhi cannot be a prime minister because he is a citizen of Britain, and his Indian citizenship will be cancelled; he won't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subramanian-swamy/rahul-gandhi-cannot-be-a-prime-minister-because-he-is-a-citizen-of/) [Subramanian Swamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subramanian-swamy/) [Browse all 2,691 Cannot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannot/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot compete with cyberspace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-television-cannot-compete-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cannot" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-television-cannot-compete-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/james-gleick-2623_cannot_if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-televis_2149208.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If instantaneity is what we want, television cannot compete with cyberspace.” — James Gleick", "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": "James Gleick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If instantaneity is what we want,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-television-cannot-compete-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/if-instantaneity-is-what-we-want-television-cannot-compete-with/#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 } } ] } ```