--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The industrial age was driven by analog…" description: "\"“The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. The information age is driven by digital copies—exact and free.”\" — Kevin Kelly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/kevin-kelly-2418_information-age_the-industrial-age-was-driven-by-analog_934134.png" --- # The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and… ![“The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. The information age is driven by digital copies—exact and free.” quote by Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/kevin-kelly-2418_information-age_the-industrial-age-was-driven-by-analog_934134.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/kevin-kelly-2418_information-age_the-industrial-age-was-driven-by-analog_934134.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/kevin-kelly-2418_information-age_the-industrial-age-was-driven-by-analog_934134.png) > ““The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. The information age is driven by digital copies—exact and free.”” [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Analog copies were cheap and exact; digital copies are also exact but freely reproducible, reshaping society. **In simple terms:** Digital copies are free and exact. Key Takeaway Leverage free digital replication responsibly. Themes technology information digital age replication Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - publishing - software development - education - media distribution Key Concepts open access intellectual property economics Questions to Reflect On - How does free digital copying affect creators? - What balance should be struck between access and compensation? A Different Perspective Free copies can undermine creators' revenue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Information age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-age/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [“The insight-driven digital transformation can create synchronization of all functions running seamlessly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-insight-driven-digital-transformation-can-create-synchronization/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [Jobs are a centuries-old concept created during the Industrial Revolution. Despite the reality that we're now deep in the Information Age, many people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/jobs-are-a-centuries-old-concept-created-during-the-industrial/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned the land during the agricultural age and who owned the factory during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-j-ross/who-owns-the-data-is-as-important-a-question-as-who-owned-the-land/) [Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-j-ross/) > [In the industrial age, the CEO sat on the top of the hierarchy and didn't have to listen to anybody ... In the information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/in-the-industrial-age-the-ceo-sat-on-the-top-of-the-hierarchy-and/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [In our life as a civilized person in the industrial age, we are invaded by objects; how could an object have a "force" when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-our-life-as-a-civilized-person-in-the-industrial-age-we-are/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Neither capitalism nor socialism is capable of meeting our unprecedented global challenges. Both came out of early industrial times, and we are now well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riane-eisler/neither-capitalism-nor-socialism-is-capable-of-meeting-our/) [Riane Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riane-eisler/) > [“This approach was typical of the Industrial Age: inadvertently removing something essential for human health, discovering it was essential for human health—and then developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-durant/this-approach-was-typical-of-the-industrial-age-inadvertently/) [John Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-durant/) > [Cities perform most functions in a very Industrial Age model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pahlka/cities-perform-most-functions-in-a-very-industrial-age-model/) [Jennifer Pahlka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pahlka/) > [Journalists were at the forefront. 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What follows will be life lived on a much smaller and finer scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-industrial-age-is-over-what-follows-will-be-life-lived-on-a-much/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [We now have an opportunity, though, to do something we didn't do in the industrial age, and that is to get a leg up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/we-now-have-an-opportunity-though-to-do-something-we-didn-t-do-in-the/) [Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/) > [“others are still in the throes of the process. The Meso-Industrial Age, as it might be called, is the period during which the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/others-are-still-in-the-throes-of-the-process-the-meso-industrial-age/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## More by Kevin Kelly > [We are reaching deep within ourselves to adjust the master knob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-are-reaching-deep-within-ourselves-to-adjust-the-master-knob/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [This is the culmination of a lot of people's vision. I think this is just another step towards making Central Michigan football among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/this-is-the-culmination-of-a-lot-of-people-s-vision-i-think-this-is/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“When copies are free, you need to sell things that cannot be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? Trust, for instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/when-copies-are-free-you-need-to-sell-things-that-cannot-be-copied/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“Existence, it seems, is chiefly maintenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/existence-it-seems-is-chiefly-maintenance/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“We have no certainty we’ll contact extraterrestrial beings from one of the billion earthlike planets in the sky in the next 200 years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-have-no-certainty-we-ll-contact-extraterrestrial-beings-from-one/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Changing things from the top down works when things are stable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/changing-things-from-the-top-down-works-when-things-are-stable/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [It's generally much easier to kill an organization than to change it substantially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/it-s-generally-much-easier-to-kill-an-organization-than-to-change-it/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The only organization capable of unprejudiced growth, or unguided learning, is a network. 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Despite the reality that we're now deep in the Information Age, many people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/jobs-are-a-centuries-old-concept-created-during-the-industrial/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [Universal WiFi. Without a doubt. I am done with being on the train, not having internet. Or having spotty coverage. It's a fundamental need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/universal-wifi-without-a-doubt-i-am-done-with-being-on-the-train-not/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [“Perhaps the most powerful and appealing aspect of another's words, however, is simply their convenience. Whether distilled in the briefest apophthegm, or spread out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-siegel-seneschal/perhaps-the-most-powerful-and-appealing-aspect-of-another-s-words/) Jasper Siegel Seneschal > [But while ignorance can make you insensitive, familiarity can also numb. 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It is true that a body at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-brafman/but-in-the-information-age-the-paradigm-for-managers-has-shifted-from/) [Ori Brafman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-brafman/) > [“In the information age, a website can generate such a high income which even a factory cannot generate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-the-information-age-a-website-can-generate-such-a-high-income/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“The constant dilemma of the information age is that our ability to gather a sea of data greatly exceeds the tools and techniques available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-scott/the-constant-dilemma-of-the-information-age-is-that-our-ability-to/) [S.J. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-scott/) > [The information revolution has changed people's perception of wealth. We originally said that land was wealth. Then we thought it was industrial production. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wriston/the-information-revolution-has-changed-people-s-perception-of-wealth/) [Walter Wriston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wriston/) > [ In the information age, the barriers \[to entry into programming\] just aren't there. The barriers are self imposed. If you want to set off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/in-the-information-age-the-barriers-to-entry-into-programming-just/) [John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/) > [In the information age, you don't teach philosophy as they did after feudalism. You perform it. If Aristotle were alive today he'd have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/in-the-information-age-you-don-t-teach-philosophy-as-they-did-after/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“In the information age in which we live, technology has a way of selling us on convenience. If something can’t be done electronically, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-cordeiro/in-the-information-age-in-which-we-live-technology-has-a-way-of/) [Wayne Cordeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-cordeiro/) > [“In the Information Age, the first step to sanity is FILTERING. Filter the information: extract for knowledge. Filter first for substance. Filter second for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-stiegler/in-the-information-age-the-first-step-to-sanity-is-filtering-filter/) Marc Stiegler > [Information is the oxygen of the modern age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 138 Information age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. 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