--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The media transforms the great silence of…" description: "\"The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real now talks constantly. News reports, inform..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png" --- # The media transforms the great silence of things into its… ![“The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real now talks constantly. News reports, information, statistics, and surveys are everywhere.” quote by Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png) > “The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real now talks constantly. News reports, information, statistics, and surveys are everywhere.” [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media converts silence into constant chatter, turning secrets into public discourse. **In simple terms:** Media makes hidden things loud. Key Takeaway Critically assess media saturation. Themes media silence public discourse Mood critical reflective Type media philosophical When to use this quote - Journalism - social media - advertising Key Concepts Information overload surveillance Questions to Reflect On - How does constant media affect truth perception? - What can be done to preserve privacy? A Different Perspective Risk of valu noise over truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constantly News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constantly-news-5574506/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Media Transforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-transforms-6096901/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Reports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-things-1668934/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Surveys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveys/) ## Related quotes > [The phone's never far away. The TV's always on. We are constantly on the news cycle; either watching the news, making the news, talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-cupp/the-phone-s-never-far-away-the-tv-s-always-on-we-are-constantly-on/) [S.E. Cupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-cupp/) > [“Laurent wasn’t here because he had chosen not to be here. And when he thought about goodbye, it was a welling silence full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/laurent-wasn-t-here-because-he-had-chosen-not-to-be-here-and-when-he/) [C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [You have to keep people engaged until you get them through the next commercial. I'm not complaining about working in TV, at all, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/you-have-to-keep-people-engaged-until-you-get-them-through-the-next/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [Friendship, love, and piety ought to be handled with a sort of mysterious secrecy; they ought to be spoken of only in the rare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/friendship-love-and-piety-ought-to-be-handled-with-a-sort-of/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [A recent government survey found that 47 percent of all women report being the victims of either physical, emotional, sexual or economic violence. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-espinosa/a-recent-government-survey-found-that-47-percent-of-all-women-report/) [Patricia Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-espinosa/) > [ What we also know is we haven't found them \[weapons of mass destruction\] in Iraq - now let the survey group complete its work… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/what-we-also-know-is-we-haven-t-found-them-weapons-of-mass/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Every month, we get the reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that say even more people have given up looking for work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/every-month-we-get-the-reports-from-the-bureau-of-labor-statistics/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [no study has brought out any solid evidence that the death penalty deters crime. In fact, Amnesty reports that 'the murder rate in states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-bosco/no-study-has-brought-out-any-solid-evidence-that-the-death-penalty/) [Antoinette Bosco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoinette-bosco/) > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [It would be worth the while to select our reading, for books are the society we keep; to read only the serenely true; never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-would-be-worth-the-while-to-select-our-reading-for-books-are-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Everyone can relate to depression. It touches so many. Suicide is the leading cause of death among teenagers. Statistics show that women suffer from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/everyone-can-relate-to-depression-it-touches-so-many-suicide-is-the/) [Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/) > [All great expression, which on a superficial survey seems so easy as well as so simple, furnishes after a while, to the faithful observer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/all-great-expression-which-on-a-superficial-survey-seems-so-easy-as/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [A new survey reveals that women would rather give up sex than give up the remote control for the TV. Men, on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/a-new-survey-reveals-that-women-would-rather-give-up-sex-than-give-up/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## More by Michel de Certeau > [“Far from being writers—founders of their own place, heirs of the peasants of earlier ages now working on the soil of language, diggers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/far-from-being-writers-founders-of-their-own-place-heirs-of-the/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [Everyday life invents itself by poaching in countless ways on the property of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/everyday-life-invents-itself-by-poaching-in-countless-ways-on-the/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [The sick man is taken away by the institution that takes charge not of the individual, but of his illness, an isolated object transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-sick-man-is-taken-away-by-the-institution-that-takes-charge-not/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [ “His \[the pedestrian's\] elevation transfigures him into a voyeur. It puts his at a distance. It transforms the bewitching world by which one was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/his-the-pedestrian-s-elevation-transfigures-him-into-a-voyeur-it-puts/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [To walk is to lack a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/to-walk-is-to-lack-a-place/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [First, if it is true that a spatial order organizes an ensemble of possibilities (e.g., by a place in which one can move) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/first-if-it-is-true-that-a-spatial-order-organizes-an-ensemble-of/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [A place (lieu) is the order (of whatever kind) in accord with which elements are distributed in relationships of coexistence. It thus excludes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/a-place-lieu-is-the-order-of-whatever-kind-in-accord-with-which/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [“I lettori sono viaggiatori: circolano sulle terre altrui.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/i-lettori-sono-viaggiatori-circolano-sulle-terre-altrui/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [When he grew old, Aristotle, who is not generally considered a tightrope dancer, liked to lose himself in the most labyrinthine and subtle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/when-he-grew-old-aristotle-who-is-not-generally-considered-a/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [“Their story begins on ground level, with footsteps. They are myriad, but do not compose a series. They cannot be counted because each unit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/their-story-begins-on-ground-level-with-footsteps-they-are-myriad-but/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [“Finally, the functionalist organization, by privileging progress (i.e. time), causes the condition of its own possibility--space itself--to be forgotten: space thus becomes the blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/finally-the-functionalist-organization-by-privileging-progress-i-e/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [One is a socialist because one used to be one, no longer going to demonstrations, attending meetings, sending in one's dues, in short, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/one-is-a-socialist-because-one-used-to-be-one-no-longer-going-to/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [The panorama-city is a 'theoretical' (that is, visual) simulacrum, in short a picture, whose condition of possibility is an oblivion and a misunderstanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-panorama-city-is-a-theoretical-that-is-visual-simulacrum-in-short/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [Along with the lazy man... the dying man is the immoral man: the former, a subject that does not work; the latter, an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/along-with-the-lazy-man-the-dying-man-is-the-immoral-man-the-former-a/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) > [ It is as though the practices organizing a bustling city were characterized by \[city practitioners', everyday citizens'\] blindness. The neworks of these moving, intersecting… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/it-is-as-though-the-practices-organizing-a-bustling-city-were/) [Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) [Explore all 42 Michel de Certeau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/) ## More Information quotes > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“We know that children with autism like order, that they are often very visual and that they can be quite literal. They deserve beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-devine/we-know-that-children-with-autism-like-order-that-they-are-often-very/) [Adele Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-devine/) > [I'm not going to be part of looking at information only partially. I'm not going to be part of just coming to quick conclusions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cleland/i-m-not-going-to-be-part-of-looking-at-information-only-partially-i-m/) [Max Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cleland/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) [Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [That's what makes a human a human, if we store information outside our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/that-s-what-makes-a-human-a-human-if-we-store-information-outside-our/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The mere imparting of information is not education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/the-mere-imparting-of-information-is-not-education/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) [Browse all 6,395 Information quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real now talks constantly. News reports, information, statistics, and surveys are everywhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel de Certeau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-of-things-into-its-opposite/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Information" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-of-things-into-its-opposite/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/michel-de-certeau-15812_information_the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-o_1602545.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The media transforms the great silence of things into its opposite. Formerly constituting a secret, the real…” — Michel de Certeau", "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": "Michel de Certeau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-certeau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The media transforms the great silence...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-of-things-into-its-opposite/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-certeau/the-media-transforms-the-great-silence-of-things-into-its-opposite/#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 } } ] } ```