--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This sort of thing sometimes causes…" description: "\"“This sort of thing sometimes causes people undue distress, as in the recent MIT Technology Review cover, featuring moonwalker Buzz Aldrin with the hea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/kelly-weinersmith-41665_twitter_this-sort-of-thing-sometimes-causes-peop_2774823.jpg" --- # This sort of thing sometimes causes people undue distress… ![“This sort of thing sometimes causes people undue distress, as in the recent MIT Technology Review cover, featuring moonwalker Buzz Aldrin with the headline “YOU PROMISED ME MARS COLONIES. INSTEAD I GOT FACEBOOK.” But, in fairness, a Mars colony would cost a few trillion dollars, while Facebook is…” quote by Kelly Weinersmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/kelly-weinersmith-41665_twitter_this-sort-of-thing-sometimes-causes-peop_2774823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/kelly-weinersmith-41665_twitter_this-sort-of-thing-sometimes-causes-peop_2774823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/kelly-weinersmith-41665_twitter_this-sort-of-thing-sometimes-causes-peop_2774823.jpg) > ““This sort of thing sometimes causes people undue distress, as in the recent MIT Technology Review cover, featuring moonwalker Buzz Aldrin with the headline “YOU PROMISED ME MARS COLONIES. INSTEAD I GOT FACEBOOK.” But, in fairness, a Mars colony would cost a few trillion dollars, while Facebook is free. And, it’s worth noting that the choice of Facebook is a bit crafty. Imagine if they’d picked Wikipedia: “YOU PROMISED ME MARS COLONIES, AND ALL I GOT WAS ALL OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE INDEXED AND AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH FOR FREE.”” [Kelly Weinersmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-weinersmith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The promised Mars colonies were replaced by free platforms, highlighting misplaced expectations and the value of open knowledge. **In simple terms:** Promises of colonization turned into free internet services. Key Takeaway Align expectations with realistic outcomes. Themes technology expectations knowledge sharing Mood critical inquisitive Type journalistic philosophical When to use this quote - education - public policy - media criticism Key Concepts Space exploration digital platforms Questions to Reflect On - How do we evaluate grand promises? - What is the true cost of knowledge? A Different Perspective Free services may still be profit‑driven. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) ## Related quotes > [“YOU PROMISED ME MARS COLONIES, AND ALL I GOT WAS ALL OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE INDEXED AND AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH FOR FREE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-weinersmith/you-promised-me-mars-colonies-and-all-i-got-was-all-of-human/) [Kelly Weinersmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-weinersmith/) > [Everyone knows, or should know, that everything we type on our computers or say into our cell phones is being disseminated throughout the datasphere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/everyone-knows-or-should-know-that-everything-we-type-on-our/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [This is our commitment to users and the people who use our service, is that Facebook's a free service. It's free now. 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