--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Web is a compelling new medium being…" description: "\"The Web is a compelling new medium being put to all kinds of uses, by everyone from banks to Cub Scouts to flying saucer cults. That said, it can also ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/paul-saffo-10456_all-kinds_the-web-is-a-compelling-new-medium-being_1477827.png" --- # The Web is a compelling new medium being put to all kinds… ![“The Web is a compelling new medium being put to all kinds of uses, by everyone from banks to Cub Scouts to flying saucer cults. That said, it can also be a powerful folly amplifier.” quote by Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/paul-saffo-10456_all-kinds_the-web-is-a-compelling-new-medium-being_1477827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/paul-saffo-10456_all-kinds_the-web-is-a-compelling-new-medium-being_1477827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/paul-saffo-10456_all-kinds_the-web-is-a-compelling-new-medium-being_1477827.png) > “The Web is a compelling new medium being put to all kinds of uses, by everyone from banks to Cub Scouts to flying saucer cults. That said, it can also be a powerful folly amplifier.” [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Web enables diverse uses but also amplifies foolishness across groups. **In simple terms:** The internet spreads both innovation and folly. Key Takeaway Use critical thinking when adopting new tech. Themes technology media innovation risk Mood cautious analytical Type warning insightful When to use this quote - online marketing - education platforms - cult groups - financial services Key Concepts information diffusion digital culture social impact Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can reduce online folly? - How can we balance openness with responsibility? A Different Perspective Not all online activity is foolish; many uses are beneficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amplifier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amplifier/) [Amplifiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amplifiers/) [Cub scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cub-scout/) [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Flying saucers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-saucers/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ## Related quotes > [To switch right into creativity usually takes a bit of time, and this came up right at that juncture where I thought, okay, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/to-switch-right-into-creativity-usually-takes-a-bit-of-time-and-this/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [My argument is limited to saying that a major new medium changes the structure of discourse; it does so by encouraging certain uses of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/my-argument-is-limited-to-saying-that-a-major-new-medium-changes-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Online content is the new game in the field of entertainment. Web series, short films, independent movies. This new medium has been a boon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-basu-prasad/online-content-is-the-new-game-in-the-field-of-entertainment-web/) [Shweta Basu Prasad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-basu-prasad/) > [With all of my films that are on DVD and Blu-ray, I have spent weeks with them in a color timing room. Just changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/with-all-of-my-films-that-are-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-i-have-spent-weeks/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [A new medium is never an addition to an old one, nor does it leave the old one in peace. It never ceases to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/a-new-medium-is-never-an-addition-to-an-old-one-nor-does-it-leave-the/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Photography is still a very new medium and everything must be tried and dare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/photography-is-still-a-very-new-medium-and-everything-must-be-tried/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [With any new medium, the full power is only unearthed with experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/with-any-new-medium-the-full-power-is-only-unearthed-with/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It's a new medium, it's a universal medium and it's not itself a medium which inherently makes people do good things, or bad things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/it-s-a-new-medium-it-s-a-universal-medium-and-it-s-not-itself-a/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Every new medium transforms the nature of human thought. 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Pulp novels would destroy their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-rosin/every-new-medium-has-within-a-short-time-of-its-introduction-been/) [Hanna Rosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanna-rosin/) > [The camera can push the new medium to its limits - and beyond. It is there - in the "beyond" - that the imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-camera-can-push-the-new-medium-to-its-limits-and-beyond-it-is/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [I didn't give any instruction to the video, because it was a new medium. I didn't know what to tell him; it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-didn-t-give-any-instruction-to-the-video-because-it-was-a-new/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [“Thus it is that the Internet, once heralded as an exciting new medium of communication, is now little more than a vast mail-order catalogue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/thus-it-is-that-the-internet-once-heralded-as-an-exciting-new-medium/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) ## More by Paul Saffo > [I'm actually an optimist about what lies ahead. Are wikis reliable? It depends on the specific business. Is Wikipedia reliable? You bet. Wikipedia is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/i-m-actually-an-optimist-about-what-lies-ahead-are-wikis-reliable-it/) [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) > [The thing I see happening is that there's a real compression between generations. 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