--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And it is why so many of us who use…" description: "\"“And it is why so many of us who use Facebook are still troubled by its siren song: it is a simulacrum of intimacy, a simulacrum of mutual understandin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b91/michael-p-lynch-47580_learning_and-it-is-why-so-many-of-us-who-use-face_1851870.jpg" --- # And it is why so many of us who use Facebook are still… ![“And it is why so many of us who use Facebook are still troubled by its siren song: it is a simulacrum of intimacy, a simulacrum of mutual understanding, not the real thing. The pattern of what people like or don’t like tells us something about them—more, in fact, than they may wish. But it doesn’t…” quote by Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b91/michael-p-lynch-47580_learning_and-it-is-why-so-many-of-us-who-use-face_1851870.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b91/michael-p-lynch-47580_learning_and-it-is-why-so-many-of-us-who-use-face_1851870.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b91/michael-p-lynch-47580_learning_and-it-is-why-so-many-of-us-who-use-face_1851870.jpg) > ““And it is why so many of us who use Facebook are still troubled by its siren song: it is a simulacrum of intimacy, a simulacrum of mutual understanding, not the real thing. The pattern of what people like or don’t like tells us something about them—more, in fact, than they may wish. But it doesn’t tell us why they like what they like. It doesn’t allow us to understand them. Facebook knows, but doesn’t understand.”” [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facebook offers a surface‑level illusion of closeness, revealing preferences but not motivations, so it knows data without true understanding. **In simple terms:** Facebook mimics intimacy but lacks genuine insight. Key Takeaway Seek deeper, real‑world conversations. Themes technology relationships perception Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - online dating - customer feedback analysis - team building - political campaigning Key Concepts social media simulacrum data vs understanding Questions to Reflect On - How does algorithmic curation shape our self‑knowledge? - What steps can we take to move beyond surface metrics? A Different Perspective It can reinforce echo chambers and false intimacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mutual understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-understanding/) [Siren song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siren-song/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) ## Related quotes > [I don't want to understand Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-don-t-want-to-understand-facebook/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I don't invest in what I don't understand. And I don't want to understand Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-don-t-invest-in-what-i-don-t-understand-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I think in my life after god facebook who knows everything about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-thought/i-think-in-my-life-after-god-facebook-who-knows-everything-about-me/) [My Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/my-thought/) > [Creators of facebook knows your every move and post on its platform. In the same way,the Creator of life knows your every move in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas/creators-of-facebook-knows-your-every-move-and-post-on-its-platform/) [Anas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas/) > [“Even if you are logged out, Facebook still knows and can track every page you visit that has Facebook integrated.” While “the only solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivo-quartiroli/even-if-you-are-logged-out-facebook-still-knows-and-can-track-every/) [Ivo Quartiroli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivo-quartiroli/) > [If there is a Like button in a page, Facebook knows who visited that page. And it can get IP address of the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/if-there-is-a-like-button-in-a-page-facebook-knows-who-visited-that/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Facebook mistreats its users. Facebook is not your friend; it is a surveillance engine. For instance, if you browse the Web and you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/facebook-mistreats-its-users-facebook-is-not-your-friend-it-is-a/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [On Facebook, your past comes into your present when someone from your second grade class suddenly pops up to send you a message, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/on-facebook-your-past-comes-into-your-present-when-someone-from-your/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“The world you're about to enter will be a different sea, with so much to do with how many likes you get on Facebook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/the-world-you-re-about-to-enter-will-be-a-different-sea-with-so-much/) [Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/) > [Let's not allow the voice of the people to be overwhelmed by the siren song of those who opposed regulation, who demanded that government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/let-s-not-allow-the-voice-of-the-people-to-be-overwhelmed-by-the/) [David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/) > [“I always knew I'd be a sailor. In my cradle, playing with my toes, I knew it. What else could there have been? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-birch/i-always-knew-i-d-be-a-sailor-in-my-cradle-playing-with-my-toes-i/) [Carol Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-birch/) > [There's always that siren song call from America for actors, I think, in Canada. You always want to know, you never want to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/there-s-always-that-siren-song-call-from-america-for-actors-i-think/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [...for the first time in my life, a voice went off in my head:'You have no power over what happens in your life. Drugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/for-the-first-time-in-my-life-a-voice-went-off-in-my-head-you-have-no/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [“Delicate, hauntingly uncertain music floated out of the house. Vane heard it as he walked up from the stables. The lilting strains reached him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/delicate-hauntingly-uncertain-music-floated-out-of-the-house-vane/) [Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/) > [“You ought to use a little of that siren song on Alan, my pearl. The boy needs to loosen his cravat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaclyn-dolamore/you-ought-to-use-a-little-of-that-siren-song-on-alan-my-pearl-the-boy/) [Jaclyn Dolamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaclyn-dolamore/) ## More by Michael P. Lynch > [“As the literary critic and writer Leon Wieseltier remarks, “every technology is used before it is completely understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/as-the-literary-critic-and-writer-leon-wieseltier-remarks-every/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“Information is the atmosphere—what the philosopher Luciano Floridi calls the infosphere—of our lives.7 But the fact that we live in the infosphere, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/information-is-the-atmosphere-what-the-philosopher-luciano-floridi/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“We digital humans do have access to more information than ever before—whether or not we have neuromedia. But it is also true that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/we-digital-humans-do-have-access-to-more-information-than-ever-before/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“One way of describing the direction in which our own culture is moving is that many of us are starting to adapt what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/one-way-of-describing-the-direction-in-which-our-own-culture-is/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“My hypothesis is that information technology, while expanding our ability to know in one way, is actually impeding our ability to know in other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/my-hypothesis-is-that-information-technology-while-expanding-our/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“But without understanding, something deeper is missing. And our digital form of life, while giving us more facts, is not particularly good at giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/but-without-understanding-something-deeper-is-missing-and-our-digital/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) > [“Today, the fastest and easiest way of knowing is Google-knowing, which means not just “knowledge by search engine” but the way we are increasingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-lynch/today-the-fastest-and-easiest-way-of-knowing-is-google-knowing-which/) [Michael P. Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) [Explore all 8 Michael P. Lynch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-lynch/) ## More Learning quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/learning-from-the-best-you-will-eventually-become-the-best-if-you/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [“Damen's understanding of Laurent rearranged itself, in order that he might despise him more accurately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/damen-s-understanding-of-laurent-rearranged-itself-in-order-that-he/) [S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And it is why so many of us who use Facebook are still troubled by its siren song: it is a simulacrum of intimacy, a simulacrum of mutual understanding, not the real thing. The pattern of what people like or don’t like tells us something about them—more, in fact, than they may wish. But it doesn’t tell us why they like what they like. It doesn’t allow us to understand them. Facebook knows, but doesn’t understand.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael P. 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