--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We turn our own lives into an information…" description: "\"We turn our own lives into an information archive by storing all our emails, SMS, digital photos, and other digital traces of our existence.\" — Lev Man..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png" --- # We turn our own lives into an information archive by… ![“We turn our own lives into an information archive by storing all our emails, SMS, digital photos, and other digital traces of our existence.” quote by Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png) > “We turn our own lives into an information archive by storing all our emails, SMS, digital photos, and other digital traces of our existence.” [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our digital communications turn personal histories into searchable archives, shaping identity and memory. **In simple terms:** We archive our lives digitally. Key Takeaway Mindfully manage digital footprints. Themes technology memory identity surveillance Mood critical contemplative Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - privacy policy - digital legacy - cultural analysis Key Concepts digital archiving media studies personal data Questions to Reflect On - How does constant recording affect self‑perception? - What practices protect personal digital memory? A Different Perspective Data overload can obscure meaningful narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archives/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sms/) ## Related quotes > [Memory: what wonders it performs in preserving and storing up things gone by - or rather, things that are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/memory-what-wonders-it-performs-in-preserving-and-storing-up-things/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [“In the very same books that tell us to locate our self-worth not in how we look but in who we are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-tandoh/in-the-very-same-books-that-tell-us-to-locate-our-self-worth-not-in/) Ruby Tandoh > [“Storing Value Unlike physical goods in the real world, the software that runs our technology products can adapt itself to our needs. To become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/storing-value-unlike-physical-goods-in-the-real-world-the-software/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) > [“Hunter-gathers, by nature, store information for use, understanding that there may be a time when information is scarce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jud-h-copeland-brian-c-o-connor-jodi-l-kearns/hunter-gathers-by-nature-store-information-for-use-understanding-that/) Jud H. Copeland Brian C. O'Connor Jodi L. Kearns > [Once I have the idea for a story. I start collecting all kinds of helpful information and storing it in three-ring notebooks. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/once-i-have-the-idea-for-a-story-i-start-collecting-all-kinds-of/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [I'm always storing away phrases and ideas and things that I think might turn into songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/i-m-always-storing-away-phrases-and-ideas-and-things-that-i-think/) [Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/) > [Typing in all lowercase is popular among young people, SMS users, and anyone who feels literacy has become too time-consuming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-mann/typing-in-all-lowercase-is-popular-among-young-people-sms-users-and/) [Merlin Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-mann/) > [Yves Saint Laurent gave women power, Chanel liberated them and when I joined Lanvin, I thought 'what do I bring to women? 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Emotions do not pass in SMS or in e-mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/i-think-that-if-you-want-to-pass-emotion-you-have-to-write-a-letter/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [SM is an art. Doing it well requires more than a bag full of expensive whips and exotic electrical toys, a closet full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sm-is-an-art-doing-it-well-requires-more-than-a-bag-full-of-expensive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [SM Seaside City Cebu: soon to be the Philippines' Largest Mall and the 4th Largest in the World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-sy/sm-seaside-city-cebu-soon-to-be-the-philippines-largest-mall-and-the/) [Henry Sy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-sy/) ## More by Lev Manovich > [... the reason we think that computer graphics technology has succeeded in faking reality is that we, over the course of the last hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/the-reason-we-think-that-computer-graphics-technology-has-succeeded/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [ ... what is faked \[by the computerization of image-making\], of course, is not reality, but photographic reality, reality as seen by the camera lens.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/what-is-faked-by-the-computerization-of-image-making-of-course-is-not/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [Any unique image that you desire probably already exists on the internet or in some database... the problem today is no longer how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/any-unique-image-that-you-desire-probably-already-exists-on-the/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [The digital image annihilates photography while solidifying, glorifying and immortalizing the photographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/the-digital-image-annihilates-photography-while-solidifying/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [... while in theory digital technology entails the flawless replication of data, its actual use in contemporary society is characterized by the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/while-in-theory-digital-technology-entails-the-flawless-replication/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [Once we came to accept the photographic image as reality, the way to its future simulation was open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/once-we-came-to-accept-the-photographic-image-as-reality-the-way-to/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [As a cultural form, database represents the world as a list of items and it refuses to order this list. In contrast, a narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/as-a-cultural-form-database-represents-the-world-as-a-list-of-items/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [During photography's first decades, exposure times were quite long... So, similar to the drawings produced with the help of a camera obscura, which depicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/during-photography-s-first-decades-exposure-times-were-quite-long-so/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [It has become a cliché to announce that 'we live in a remix culture'... What was referred to in post-modern times as quoting, appropriation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/it-has-become-a-clich-to-announce-that-we-live-in-a-remix-culture/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) [Explore all 10 Lev Manovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) ## More Archives quotes > [Research promoted by NARA within a major coalition of Federal and private sector research partners has at last demonstrated that an Electronic Records Archives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-weinstein/research-promoted-by-nara-within-a-major-coalition-of-federal-and/) [Allen Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-weinstein/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/) [C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/) > [I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-abbott/i-spent-three-years-researching-american-rose-research-that-included/) [Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-abbott/) > [I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-ve-found-myself-moved-by-letters-and-diaries-in-archives-as-well-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“It's really fine that you found a good archivist to do the basically difficult and at times harrowing work of cleaning out old papers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher-2/it-s-really-fine-that-you-found-a-good-archivist-to-do-the-basically/) [M.F.K. 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I have been free to read his journals, diaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/over-the-last-two-years-i-have-been-able-to-comb-through-the-prince-s/) [Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/) > [We may observe in some of the abrupt grounds we meet with, sections of great masses of strata, where it is as easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-may-observe-in-some-of-the-abrupt-grounds-we-meet-with-sections-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I went to the archives to see what Dumbo work there was, not for current film, but just for my love of animation. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sohn/i-went-to-the-archives-to-see-what-dumbo-work-there-was-not-for/) Peter Sohn > [Whether it's your own material or somebody else's material, it's essential that you identify with it thoroughly. It's like you want to archive it;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stookey/whether-it-s-your-own-material-or-somebody-else-s-material-it-s/) [Paul Stookey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stookey/) [Browse all 164 Archives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We turn our own lives into an information archive by storing all our emails, SMS, digital photos, and other digital traces of our existence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lev Manovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-information-archive-by-storing-all-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Archives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-information-archive-by-storing-all-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47d/lev-manovich-41544_archives_we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-informatio_2645096.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We turn our own lives into an information archive by storing all our emails, SMS, digital photos, and other…” — Lev Manovich", "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": "Lev Manovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We turn our own lives into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-information-archive-by-storing-all-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/we-turn-our-own-lives-into-an-information-archive-by-storing-all-our/#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 } } ] } ```