--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History shows a typical progression of…" description: "\"History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg" --- # History shows a typical progression of information… ![“History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick production marvel; from a freely accessible channel to one strictly controlled by a single corporation or cartel-from open to closed system.” quote by Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg) > “History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick production marvel; from a freely accessible channel to one strictly controlled by a single corporation or cartel-from open to closed system.” [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology tends to start as a hobby, become industry, then concentrate under a few powerful entities, moving from openness to control. **In simple terms:** Tech evolves from open hobby to closed monopoly. Key Takeaway Beware centralization; support openness. Themes technology control centralization innovation economics Mood cautious analytical Type critical observational When to use this quote - startup culture - software development - media distribution - policy debates Key Concepts Network effects platform power regulation public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can we preserve openness while scaling? - What safeguards prevent monopoly power? A Different Perspective Open systems can be vulnerable to fragmentation and lack of standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobbies/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Information technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-technology/) [Progression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progression/) [Technologies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technologies/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [Earlier generations of machines decreased the complexity of tasks. In contrast, information technologies can increase the intellectual content of work at all levels. Work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoshana-zuboff/earlier-generations-of-machines-decreased-the-complexity-of-tasks-in/) [Shoshana Zuboff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoshana-zuboff/) > [You've got Hezbollah in Arizona. You've got Mexican drug cartels operating in Arizona. You've got the steady stream of illegals over the border, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-ve-got-hezbollah-in-arizona-you-ve-got-mexican-drug-cartels/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [It's obsequious little nicety-nice girls like me who allow assholes to run the world: Miss Harlot O'Harlots, billionaire phony tree huggers, hypocrite drug-snorting, weed-puffing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/it-s-obsequious-little-nicety-nice-girls-like-me-who-allow-assholes/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [We have a massive heroin opioid epidemic problem in America, part of that is because of drugs coming from the cartels from the south.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/we-have-a-massive-heroin-opioid-epidemic-problem-in-america-part-of/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [We will vote for the country we want; we will vote for the future we want; we will vote for the politics we want;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-vote-for-the-country-we-want-we-will-vote-for-the-future-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The turmoil at the southern border has undoubtedly bred a lucrative industry for heinous cartels and their illicit human trafficking operations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santos/the-turmoil-at-the-southern-border-has-undoubtedly-bred-a-lucrative/) [George Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santos/) > [The Christians had a better chance against the lions than the American consumer has against the OPEC cartel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-markey/the-christians-had-a-better-chance-against-the-lions-than-the/) [Ed Markey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-markey/) > [To cover the fact that a central bank is merely a cartel which has been legalized, its proponents had to lay down a thick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/to-cover-the-fact-that-a-central-bank-is-merely-a-cartel-which-has/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [Secondly, as a result of this political favoritism, the FDA has become a primary factor in that formula whereby cartel-oriented companies in the food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/secondly-as-a-result-of-this-political-favoritism-the-fda-has-become/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [ I love the people. I really like this administration \[of Enrique Peña Nieto\]. I think he's a good man. We get along very well.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-love-the-people-i-really-like-this-administration-of-enrique-pe-a/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The catholic church has a lot more money than any Colombian cartel and they leave a lot more bodies in their wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-catholic-church-has-a-lot-more-money-than-any-colombian-cartel/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [Cartels south of the border actually have a lot in common with ISIS. In fact, ISIS could learn a thing or two from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/cartels-south-of-the-border-actually-have-a-lot-in-common-with-isis/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [The court follows elite opinion, not public opinion. And Democratic leaders in Congress and Republican leaders in Congress follow elite opinion as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-court-follows-elite-opinion-not-public-opinion-and-democratic/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“Drug cartels have taken the driver’s seat, training our young men and women on how best to self destruct, while the larger community watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oche-otorkpa/drug-cartels-have-taken-the-driver-s-seat-training-our-young-men-and/) [Oche Otorkpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oche-otorkpa/) > [Capitalist exploitation and cartels and monopolies are the enemies of underdeveloped countries. On the other hand a regime which is completely oriented towards the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/capitalist-exploitation-and-cartels-and-monopolies-are-the-enemies-of/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) ## More by Tim Wu > [Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-has-at-least-at-this-point-maintained-the-line-where-it-keeps/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [When you pay for stuff, it has more of your interests in heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/when-you-pay-for-stuff-it-has-more-of-your-interests-in-heart/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“JUST WHAT IS GOOGLE? In 1902, the New York Telephone Company opened the world’s first school for “telephone girls.” It was an exclusive institution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/just-what-is-google-in-1902-the-new-york-telephone-company-opened-the/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“When we speak of living environments and their effects on us, then, we are often speaking too broadly—of the city, the countryside, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/when-we-speak-of-living-environments-and-their-effects-on-us-then-we/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [Now, he doesn't control the media, but Donald Trump has been incredibly successful in having his face appear everywhere. You cannot go a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/now-he-doesn-t-control-the-media-but-donald-trump-has-been-incredibly/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [The best antidote to the disruptive power of innovation is overregulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/the-best-antidote-to-the-disruptive-power-of-innovation-is/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“In 1956, two psychologists, Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, would conclude that television’s representation of celebrities was carefully constructed to create an “illusion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/in-1956-two-psychologists-donald-horton-and-richard-wohl-would/) [tim wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“Markets are born free, yet no sooner are they born than some would-be emperor is forging chains. Paradoxically,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/markets-are-born-free-yet-no-sooner-are-they-born-than-some-would-be/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [I want to say, however, one thing our media in America has done which didn't happen in other totalitarian states is it has very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/i-want-to-say-however-one-thing-our-media-in-america-has-done-which/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [Advertising just keeps getting heavier and heavier and heavier. It doesn't have any natural limit, and we haven't found the place for the limit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/advertising-just-keeps-getting-heavier-and-heavier-and-heavier-it/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [I wish more of the web had stayed nonprofit. But the advertising model took over and I think has delivered us to where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/i-wish-more-of-the-web-had-stayed-nonprofit-but-the-advertising-model/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [There's always people - it doesn't take many - who have a different psychological makeup than most of us who really get joy out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/there-s-always-people-it-doesn-t-take-many-who-have-a-different/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [In the media, traditional media like print, we had boundaries. You know, we had spaces that ads didn't leave. They stayed where they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/in-the-media-traditional-media-like-print-we-had-boundaries-you-know/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [Google - and some of the other sites, YouTube and, you know - Google has an amazing search engine. The map product is incredible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-and-some-of-the-other-sites-youtube-and-you-know-google-has-an/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [One thing that all the totalitarian states did was make the great leader's face everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/one-thing-that-all-the-totalitarian-states-did-was-make-the-great/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) [Explore all 87 Tim Wu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) ## More Cartels quotes > [Capitalist exploitation and cartels and monopolies are the enemies of underdeveloped countries. On the other hand a regime which is completely oriented towards the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/capitalist-exploitation-and-cartels-and-monopolies-are-the-enemies-of/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [“Drug cartels have taken the driver’s seat, training our young men and women on how best to self destruct, while the larger community watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oche-otorkpa/drug-cartels-have-taken-the-driver-s-seat-training-our-young-men-and/) [Oche Otorkpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oche-otorkpa/) > [The court follows elite opinion, not public opinion. And Democratic leaders in Congress and Republican leaders in Congress follow elite opinion as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/the-court-follows-elite-opinion-not-public-opinion-and-democratic/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Cartels south of the border actually have a lot in common with ISIS. In fact, ISIS could learn a thing or two from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/cartels-south-of-the-border-actually-have-a-lot-in-common-with-isis/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [The catholic church has a lot more money than any Colombian cartel and they leave a lot more bodies in their wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-catholic-church-has-a-lot-more-money-than-any-colombian-cartel/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [ I love the people. I really like this administration \[of Enrique Peña Nieto\]. I think he's a good man. We get along very well.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-love-the-people-i-really-like-this-administration-of-enrique-pe-a/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Secondly, as a result of this political favoritism, the FDA has become a primary factor in that formula whereby cartel-oriented companies in the food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/secondly-as-a-result-of-this-political-favoritism-the-fda-has-become/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [To cover the fact that a central bank is merely a cartel which has been legalized, its proponents had to lay down a thick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/to-cover-the-fact-that-a-central-bank-is-merely-a-cartel-which-has/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [The Christians had a better chance against the lions than the American consumer has against the OPEC cartel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-markey/the-christians-had-a-better-chance-against-the-lions-than-the/) [Ed Markey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-markey/) > [The turmoil at the southern border has undoubtedly bred a lucrative industry for heinous cartels and their illicit human trafficking operations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santos/the-turmoil-at-the-southern-border-has-undoubtedly-bred-a-lucrative/) [George Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santos/) > [We will vote for the country we want; we will vote for the future we want; we will vote for the politics we want;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-vote-for-the-country-we-want-we-will-vote-for-the-future-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We have a massive heroin opioid epidemic problem in America, part of that is because of drugs coming from the cartels from the south.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/we-have-a-massive-heroin-opioid-epidemic-problem-in-america-part-of/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [It's obsequious little nicety-nice girls like me who allow assholes to run the world: Miss Harlot O'Harlots, billionaire phony tree huggers, hypocrite drug-snorting, weed-puffing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/it-s-obsequious-little-nicety-nice-girls-like-me-who-allow-assholes/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [You've got Hezbollah in Arizona. You've got Mexican drug cartels operating in Arizona. You've got the steady stream of illegals over the border, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-ve-got-hezbollah-in-arizona-you-ve-got-mexican-drug-cartels/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Cartels have spread and will spread as long as the world lacks an effective mechanism by which balanced expansion may be achieved without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/cartels-have-spread-and-will-spread-as-long-as-the-world-lacks-an/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) Browse all 67 Cartels quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick production marvel; from a freely accessible channel to one strictly controlled by a single corporation or cartel-from open to closed system.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Wu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-information-technologies-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cartels" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-information-technologies-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/791/tim-wu-7845_cartels_history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-i_2789938.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History shows a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's…” — Tim Wu", "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": "Tim Wu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History shows a typical progression of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-information-technologies-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/history-shows-a-typical-progression-of-information-technologies-from/#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 } } ] } ```