Change Quote by Neil Postman
““Moreover, we have seen enough by now to know that technological changes in our modes of communication are even more ideology-laden than changes in our modes of transportation. Introduce the alphabet to a culture and you change its cognitive habits, its social relations, its notions of community, history and religion. Introduce the printing press with movable type, and you do the same. Introduce speed-of-light transmission of images and you make a cultural revolution. Without a vote. Without polemics. Without guerrilla resistance. Here is ideology, pure if not serene. Here is ideology without words, and all the more powerful for their absence. All that is required to make it stick is a population that devoutly believes in the inevitability of progress. And in this sense, all Americans are Marxists, for we believe nothing if not that history is moving us toward some preordained paradise and that technology is the force behind that movement.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, 1992
Technological shifts reshape cognition, social bonds, and belief systems more profoundly than political discourse, embedding ideology in everyday tools.
In simple terms: Tech changes how we think and relate, spreading ideology silently.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how technology carries hidden values.
Themes
technology
culture
ideology
communication
progress
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education reform
- media literacy
- policy making
- community building
- personal tech use
Key Concepts
media theory
social construction of technology
cognitive shift
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you see technology influencing your values?
- Can we shape tech to reflect diverse ideologies?
A Different Perspective
Technological determinism can overlook human agency and resistance.
