Business Quote by Tim Wu
““Technology always embodies ideology, and the ideology in question was one of difference, recognition, and individuality. But commerce bows to none, taking its opportunities wherever they may lie. The logic of cable ultimately did not flow from the zeitgeist but rather from the opportunity it created for a host of upstarts to feast on the attentional harvest once the manna of the networks alone. And once all those newcomers began to contest what had been the broad middle, it began to fall apart, not at once, but from this point onward.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Attention Merchants, 2016
Technology reflects and shapes societal values, often driven by profit rather than cultural trends.
In simple terms: Tech is shaped by profit, not just culture.
Key Takeaway
Consider profit motives in tech.
Themes
technology
ideology
economics
culture
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
reflective
When to use this quote
- product design
- marketing strategies
- policy making
Key Concepts
media theory
capitalism
Questions to Reflect On
- What ideologies do current platforms promote?
- How can users resist commercial bias?
A Different Perspective
Profit motives can limit diversity of ideas.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)