--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The EU can lead the world toward more…" description: "\"The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology. But doing so requires thinking more broadly about reining in social media platforms to prevent..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/tristan-harris-15820_democracies_the-eu-can-lead-the-world-toward-more-hu_2507552.jpg" --- # The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology… ![“The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology. But doing so requires thinking more broadly about reining in social media platforms to prevent them from degrading our democracies.” quote by Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/tristan-harris-15820_democracies_the-eu-can-lead-the-world-toward-more-hu_2507552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/tristan-harris-15820_democracies_the-eu-can-lead-the-world-toward-more-hu_2507552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/tristan-harris-15820_democracies_the-eu-can-lead-the-world-toward-more-hu_2507552.jpg) > “The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology. But doing so requires thinking more broadly about reining in social media platforms to prevent them from degrading our democracies.” [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for the EU to set global standards for ethical tech, emphasizing regulation of social media to protect democracy. **In simple terms:** EU should guide humane tech and curb harmful platforms. Key Takeaway Promote responsible tech governance. Themes ethics technology democracy regulation leadership Mood concerned optimistic Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - government policy drafting - corporate compliance - public advocacy - media literacy Key Concepts digital rights platform accountability public policy social impact Questions to Reflect On - How can regulation protect democracy without hindering innovation? - What incentives can align platform profit with public good? A Different Perspective Regulation may stifle innovation if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Degrading Democracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrading-democracies-1125124/) [Democracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies/) [Humane Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humane-technology-1125122/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Media Platforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-platforms-737564/) [Reining Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reining-social-1125123/) [Social media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-media/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things I've become immune to is people talking about market cap and social media platforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/one-of-the-things-i-ve-become-immune-to-is-people-talking-about/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [For decades, media companies have largely controlled the tools through which consumers were told what to buy, wear or think. Now consumers possess the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/for-decades-media-companies-have-largely-controlled-the-tools-through/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [There's a misconception that as a creator you have to be on all the social media platforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sugg/there-s-a-misconception-that-as-a-creator-you-have-to-be-on-all-the/) [Joe Sugg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sugg/) > [With the blessing of social media and platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix, you get this broad audience that I don't think we knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-koy/with-the-blessing-of-social-media-and-platforms-like-amazon-prime-and/) [Jo Koy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-koy/) > [If the social media platforms don't take the gatekeeping seriously they will kill the public sphere. If we don't get this right in 2020…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-ressa/if-the-social-media-platforms-don-t-take-the-gatekeeping-seriously/) [Maria Ressa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-ressa/) > [At the Big Bad Lab, we build participatory art and media platforms for causes, communities and organizations we care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/at-the-big-bad-lab-we-build-participatory-art-and-media-platforms-for/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [Online media is the future, and younger feminists are already instrumental in using social media and multi-media platforms on the web to document street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-baumgardner/online-media-is-the-future-and-younger-feminists-are-already/) [Jennifer Baumgardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-baumgardner/) > [The social media platforms have taken over the distribution of news globally. They treat a lie the same way you would treat a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-ressa/the-social-media-platforms-have-taken-over-the-distribution-of-news/) [Maria Ressa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-ressa/) > [“You don't know it, but I'm a vertical megabrand with cross-media platforms”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-castagnoli/you-don-t-know-it-but-i-m-a-vertical-megabrand-with-cross-media/) [Francesca Castagnoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-castagnoli/) > [Social media is one of my least favorite media platforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cain/social-media-is-one-of-my-least-favorite-media-platforms/) [Will Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cain/) > [A lot of artists are blind to how to use these crucial social media platforms - you don't have to put all your faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-singe/a-lot-of-artists-are-blind-to-how-to-use-these-crucial-social-media/) [William Singe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-singe/) > [Ultimately, it's possible that social media platforms will be designed as templates that the users themselves customize in terms of the best way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/ultimately-it-s-possible-that-social-media-platforms-will-be-designed/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [The idea that democracies could be vulnerable to demagogues is not a new notion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kristol/the-idea-that-democracies-could-be-vulnerable-to-demagogues-is-not-a/) [Bill Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kristol/) > [In view of China's growing military strength and intentions, the best way to safeguard Asia's permanent peace and prosperity is to have all Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/in-view-of-china-s-growing-military-strength-and-intentions-the-best/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More by Tristan Harris > [Traditional companies have been subject to licensing for many years. Attention utilities should be required to obey limits on data extraction and message amplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/traditional-companies-have-been-subject-to-licensing-for-many-years/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Magicians start by looking for blind spots, edges, vulnerabilities and limits of people's perception, so they can influence what people do without them even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/magicians-start-by-looking-for-blind-spots-edges-vulnerabilities-and/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Our online news feeds aggregate all of the world's pain and cruelty, dragging our brains into a kind of learned helplessness. Technology that provides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/our-online-news-feeds-aggregate-all-of-the-world-s-pain-and-cruelty/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [I actually worry that we're so mindlessly following the herd on privacy and data being the principle concerns when the actual things that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/i-actually-worry-that-we-re-so-mindlessly-following-the-herd-on/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [We're going to need a new social contract with the tech world one that asks for consent, and one with transparent goals. Right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/we-re-going-to-need-a-new-social-contract-with-the-tech-world-one/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [For any company whose business model is advertising, or engagement-based advertising, meaning they care about the amount of time someone spends on the product,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/for-any-company-whose-business-model-is-advertising-or-engagement/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [If we really wanted to have a reorientation of the tech industry toward what's best for people, then we would ask the second question,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/if-we-really-wanted-to-have-a-reorientation-of-the-tech-industry/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Technology steers what 2 billion people are thinking and believing every day. It's possibly the largest source of influence over 2 billion people's thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/technology-steers-what-2-billion-people-are-thinking-and-believing/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [You're either on, and you're connected and distracted all the time, or you're off, but then you're wondering, am I missing something important? In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/you-re-either-on-and-you-re-connected-and-distracted-all-the-time-or/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Tech companies are distracting, dividing and outraging citizens to the point where there is little basis for common ground. This is a direct threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/tech-companies-are-distracting-dividing-and-outraging-citizens-to-the/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Once you start understanding that your mind can be scheduled into having little thoughts or little blocks of time that you didn't choose, wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/once-you-start-understanding-that-your-mind-can-be-scheduled-into/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [We want to have a relationship with technology that gives us back choice about how we spend time with it, and we're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/we-want-to-have-a-relationship-with-technology-that-gives-us-back/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Apps or media who make money on advertising are never satisfied with 'enough' of your attention. They will always fight for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/apps-or-media-who-make-money-on-advertising-are-never-satisfied-with/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [I'm an expert on how technology hijacks our psychological vulnerabilities. That's why I spent the last three years as a Design Ethicist at Google…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/i-m-an-expert-on-how-technology-hijacks-our-psychological/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) > [Technology is causing a set of seemingly disconnected things - shortening of attention spans, polarization, outrage-ification of culture, mass narcissism, election engineering, addiction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-harris/technology-is-causing-a-set-of-seemingly-disconnected-things/) [Tristan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) [Explore all 42 Tristan Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-harris/) ## More Democracies quotes > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [In view of China's growing military strength and intentions, the best way to safeguard Asia's permanent peace and prosperity is to have all Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/in-view-of-china-s-growing-military-strength-and-intentions-the-best/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) > [The idea that democracies could be vulnerable to demagogues is not a new notion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kristol/the-idea-that-democracies-could-be-vulnerable-to-demagogues-is-not-a/) [Bill Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kristol/) > [There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/there-is-one-safeguard-known-generally-to-the-wise-which-is-an/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [All democracies turn into dictatorships - but not by coup. The people give their democracy to a dictator, whether it's Julius Caesar or Napoleon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/all-democracies-turn-into-dictatorships-but-not-by-coup-the-people/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [Our Declaration of Independence declares that democracies derive their power from the 'consent of the governed.' But this democracy will fail if only some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/our-declaration-of-independence-declares-that-democracies-derive/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [It is a law of governance that democracies have to spend themselves dizzy. Citizens of democracies can, after all, tell their government to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-is-a-law-of-governance-that-democracies-have-to-spend-themselves/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Israel is one of the greatest and most modern democracies on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matteo-salvini/israel-is-one-of-the-greatest-and-most-modern-democracies-on-the/) [Matteo Salvini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matteo-salvini/) > [What other, newer democracies find relatively easy - conducting an election, the counting of votes, the peaceful transition of power - seems to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkha-dutt/what-other-newer-democracies-find-relatively-easy-conducting-an/) [Barkha Dutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkha-dutt/) > [Democracies don't go to war against each other, and by and large they don't sponsor terrorism. They're more likely to respect the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/democracies-don-t-go-to-war-against-each-other-and-by-and-large-they/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I think we need to be a superpower of human rights, of support for true grassroots democracy, not corporatist economic development, which suits our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-think-we-need-to-be-a-superpower-of-human-rights-of-support-for/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [The all but unanimous judgment seems to be that we, the democracies, are just as responsible for the rise of the dictators as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-all-but-unanimous-judgment-seems-to-be-that-we-the-democracies/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [“Whatever modern democracies may tell themselves about their commitment to free speech and to diversity of opinion, the values of a given society will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/whatever-modern-democracies-may-tell-themselves-about-their/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Western democracies did not create the virtue of citizenship; on the contrary, they grew from it. Nothing is more evident in The Federalist than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/western-democracies-did-not-create-the-virtue-of-citizenship-on-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) [Browse all 231 Democracies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology. 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