--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often wonder whether real conversation…" description: "\"I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitized and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg" --- # I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may… ![“I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitized and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf… Perhaps future…” quote by Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg) > “I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitized and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf… Perhaps future generations will recoil with similar horror at the messiness, unpredictability and immediate personal involvement of a three-dimensional, real-time interaction.” [Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Real‑time, messy human interaction may be replaced by sanitized digital communication, just as fresh meat was replaced by packaged meat. **In simple terms:** Human interaction may become sterile and distant. Key Takeaway Value authentic, spontaneous conversation. Themes technology communication authenticity Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - social media use - online education - remote work - family gatherings Key Concepts digital mediation human connection media evolution Questions to Reflect On - How might we preserve spontaneity in digital chats? - What are the costs of losing messy, real‑time dialogue? A Different Perspective Convenient digital tools can reduce depth and empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Convenience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenience/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Conversation Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-real-1884235/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Future generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-generation/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Interaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interaction/) [Involvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involvement/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Messiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messiness/) [Packages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/packages/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-conversation/) [Real time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-time/) [Recoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recoil/) [Replaced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replaced/) [Screen Dialogues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screen-dialogues-3755709/) [Screens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screens/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/) [Supermarkets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supermarkets/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unpredictability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpredictability/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“You know what is beautiful? A real conversation with a real person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-harnisch/you-know-what-is-beautiful-a-real-conversation-with-a-real-person/) [Jonathan Harnisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-harnisch/) > [I've found that if I say what I'm really thinking and feeling, people are more likely to say what they really think and feel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-gilligan/i-ve-found-that-if-i-say-what-i-m-really-thinking-and-feeling-people/) [Carol Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-gilligan/) > [Conversation in real life is full of half-finished sentences and overlapping talk. Why shouldn't painting be too?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/conversation-in-real-life-is-full-of-half-finished-sentences-and/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [Direct confrontation, direct conversation is real respect. 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Where a painter starts with a blank canvas and builds a picture, a photographer starts with the messiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-shore/photography-is-inherently-an-analytic-discipline-where-a-painter/) [Stephen Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-shore/) > [We as beings are very contradictory, complicated creatures that work in our best interest and against our best interest. In a certain way, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/we-as-beings-are-very-contradictory-complicated-creatures-that-work/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [Grime is not like messiness or some fingerprints on a cabinet; it takes a long time to accumulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/grime-is-not-like-messiness-or-some-fingerprints-on-a-cabinet-it/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Great sermon helped me to reflect on scape goats, forgiveness, revenge and the messiness of community. .. where I referenced this sermon. Thanks! Keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-peterson/great-sermon-helped-me-to-reflect-on-scape-goats-forgiveness-revenge/) [Bill Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-peterson/) > [It's the messiness of life that ultimately leads you to the most interesting things. Everyone asks what you would do over, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/it-s-the-messiness-of-life-that-ultimately-leads-you-to-the-most/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [California seemed to me to be all about secrets and the need for safety. And this leads to this thematic messiness I'm still trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/california-seemed-to-me-to-be-all-about-secrets-and-the-need-for/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [I think the messiness and embodied nature of modern life just produces an enhanced signal for our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-davidson/i-think-the-messiness-and-embodied-nature-of-modern-life-just/) [Richard Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-davidson/) > [I think the key to writing the truth of our existences, so much of this is being incubated online, is examining the conflicts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/i-think-the-key-to-writing-the-truth-of-our-existences-so-much-of/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [ The messiness \[in my books\] is nothing like an Atwood novel. For me, the deeper subjects are secrets versus intimacy, and how both beget… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/the-messiness-in-my-books-is-nothing-like-an-atwood-novel-for-me-the/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) ## More by Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield > [The question of how the ebb and flow of a highly developed mind can be catered to by a physical brain, and the related…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/the-question-of-how-the-ebb-and-flow-of-a-highly-developed-mind-can/) [Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/) > [The most obvious feature of the brain is that it is not homogeneous, but composed of different regions. There are no intrinsic moving parts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/the-most-obvious-feature-of-the-brain-is-that-it-is-not-homogeneous/) [Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/) > [Similarly, when you lose yourconsciousness, when you go to sleep at night or when you're anesthetized, youdon't really think that you're really going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/similarly-when-you-lose-yourconsciousness-when-you-go-to-sleep-at/) [Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/) [Explore all 4 Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitized and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf… Perhaps future generations will recoil with similar horror at the messiness, unpredictability and immediate personal involvement of a three-dimensional, real-time interaction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation-in-real-time-may-eventually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation-in-real-time-may-eventually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d38/susan-greenfield-baroness-gree_animal_i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation_2845454.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitized and easier…” — Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield", "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": "Susan Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I often wonder whether real conversation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation-in-real-time-may-eventually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-greenfield-baroness-greenfield/i-often-wonder-whether-real-conversation-in-real-time-may-eventually/#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 } } ] } ```