--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter…" description: "\"Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other mainstays of what technology writers have come to call 'the social Web' or 'Web 2.0,' a si..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg" --- # Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and… ![“Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other mainstays of what technology writers have come to call 'the social Web' or 'Web 2.0,' a sizable portion of humanity has learned to be together while apart, sacrificing intimacy for control and spontaneity for predictability.” quote by Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg) > “Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other mainstays of what technology writers have come to call 'the social Web' or 'Web 2.0,' a sizable portion of humanity has learned to be together while apart, sacrificing intimacy for control and spontaneity for predictability.” [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology connects people remotely, trading deep intimacy for predictable control. **In simple terms:** Online life replaces close bonds with managed interaction. Key Takeaway Balance digital convenience with real‑world closeness. Themes technology social media intimacy control predictability Mood reflective concerned Type analytical observational When to use this quote - remote work - online dating - virtual communities - social media marketing Key Concepts digital sociology human connection privacy Questions to Reflect On - How does your online presence affect your offline relationships? - What boundaries can you set for healthier digital habits? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance can erode authentic relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart/) [Call](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/call/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Come Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-social-2050044/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Facebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facebook/) [Founding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding/) [Founding Facebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding-facebook-2050046/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-learned-2050045/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Portion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portion/) [Predictability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictability/) [Sacrificing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrificing/) [Since](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/since/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-web-1128159/) [Spontaneity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneity/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) [Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) ## Related quotes > [I come from the bottom of the social ladder and now I have a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hulk/i-come-from-the-bottom-of-the-social-ladder-and-now-i-have-a-good-life/) [Hulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hulk/) > [“the creature had learned much. It had learned to survive in the wild and among humanity. It had learned camouflage and stealth and deception.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-kahle/the-creature-had-learned-much-it-had-learned-to-survive-in-the-wild/) [Pete Kahle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-kahle/) > [The social web can't exist until you are your real self online. I have to be me. You have to be you. Once we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/the-social-web-can-t-exist-until-you-are-your-real-self-online-i-have/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Content is the currency of the social web and sharing that content is the catalyst to new relationships and business benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-schaefer/content-is-the-currency-of-the-social-web-and-sharing-that-content-is/) [Mark Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-schaefer/) > [Thanks to the social web, we can share and trade to use a whole universe of things we once had to buy ourselves. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-jurich/thanks-to-the-social-web-we-can-share-and-trade-to-use-a-whole/) [Lynn Jurich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-jurich/) > [Facebook is about seeing what your friend is doing. Twitter, you follow different people. Flipboard is about passions and interests and topics, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccue/facebook-is-about-seeing-what-your-friend-is-doing-twitter-you-follow/) [Mike McCue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccue/) > [The rise of the social web promised a new era of personalization for globe-trotting. But like many things born online, as popularity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/the-rise-of-the-social-web-promised-a-new-era-of-personalization-for/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [The social Web is incredibly good at shining bright lights into dark corners...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-evans/the-social-web-is-incredibly-good-at-shining-bright-lights-into-dark/) [Dave Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-evans/) > [Twitter is your window to relevance , but Facebook is your home page for the Social Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-solis/twitter-is-your-window-to-relevance-but-facebook-is-your-home-page/) [Brian Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-solis/) > [Security is a big concern on the social web. People are going to try to destroy social media just like they are trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-carter/security-is-a-big-concern-on-the-social-web-people-are-going-to-try/) [Sandy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-carter/) > [News networks giving a greater voice to viewers because the social web is so popular are like a chef on the Titanic who, seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/news-networks-giving-a-greater-voice-to-viewers-because-the-social/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [Every day the choristers of the social web chirp their advice about openness and trust; craigslist follows none of it, and every day it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/every-day-the-choristers-of-the-social-web-chirp-their-advice-about/) [Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/) > [I don't know how you can justify leaving any engagement behind in the social Web of 2011.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-don-t-know-how-you-can-justify-leaving-any-engagement-behind-in-the/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Predictability and great design are not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/predictability-and-great-design-are-not-friends/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [Predictability can eventually be defended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nurse/predictability-can-eventually-be-defended/) [Nick Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nurse/) ## More by Walter Kirn > [Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/everyone-loves-a-witch-hunt-as-long-as-it-s-someone-else-s-witch/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“I just wasn't ready for his stories. They'd breed with the others I'd heard and hatch new monsters, because there was no such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-just-wasn-t-ready-for-his-stories-they-d-breed-with-the-others-i-d/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“For time to pass it would have to go somewhere, and where would that be? Time sits. We move, it sits. Sometimes it trembles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/for-time-to-pass-it-would-have-to-go-somewhere-and-where-would-that/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Once you realize just the sort of glut of books that exists out there, it does become incumbent on you not to add to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/once-you-realize-just-the-sort-of-glut-of-books-that-exists-out-there/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [There are two sides to me. One is the writer. That's a savage person who looks at everything as a story and, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-sides-to-me-one-is-the-writer-that-s-a-savage-person/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [I remember the first time I went to Italy when I was eighteen, I was in Florence and there were all these eighteen, nineteen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-italy-when-i-was-eighteen-i-was/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Quiet cunning bested boastful brawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/quiet-cunning-bested-boastful-brawn/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The idea that Americans favor politicians who either remind them of themselves or can imagine what their selves are like because they too have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-idea-that-americans-favor-politicians-who-either-remind-them-of/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Memo to extreme partisans: If you can't bring yourselves to love your enemies, can you at least learn to hate your friends?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/memo-to-extreme-partisans-if-you-can-t-bring-yourselves-to-love-your/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [People can be so neglectful of each other and of their own heritage - then death intrudes. Conversations we wish that we'd had earlier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/people-can-be-so-neglectful-of-each-other-and-of-their-own-heritage/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [I'd assumed that a deal was a deal when Princeton admitted me, but I was wrong. The price of getting in - to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-d-assumed-that-a-deal-was-a-deal-when-princeton-admitted-me-but-i/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The reason that last-ditch political maneuvering has become business as usual in Washington is that the actors involved are drunk on blame and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/the-reason-that-last-ditch-political-maneuvering-has-become-business/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“Meanness on request isn't meanness at all, but kindness carried too far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/meanness-on-request-isn-t-meanness-at-all-but-kindness-carried-too-far/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) [Explore all 177 Walter Kirn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) ## More Apart quotes > [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I was one of those kids who took apart their toys to see how they work, just to see what they were made up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/i-was-one-of-those-kids-who-took-apart-their-toys-to-see-how-they/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [When you cook a sausage, the skin sometimes breaks and the ground meat comes apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-cook-a-sausage-the-skin-sometimes-breaks-and-the-ground-meat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take apart restaurant menus everywhere I go. I kind of tick off a lot of chefs in restaurants because I'll say, 'You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montel-williams/i-take-apart-restaurant-menus-everywhere-i-go-i-kind-of-tick-off-a/) [Montel Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montel-williams/) > [When two people are meant for each other, no time is too long, no distance is too far, and no one can ever tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-two-people-are-meant-for-each-other-no-time-is-too-long-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Marsala isn’t the one that’s going to keep you and Chansey apart. It’s you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-cates/marsala-isn-t-the-one-that-s-going-to-keep-you-and-chansey-apart-it-s/) [Georgia Cates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-cates/) > [I personally felt that his ad hominen attacks on British architects were not the sort of thing a Prince of Wales should be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-holden/i-personally-felt-that-his-ad-hominen-attacks-on-british-architects/) [Anthony Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-holden/) > [The truth will form and fall apart again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-slean/the-truth-will-form-and-fall-apart-again/) [Sarah Slean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-slean/) > [Apart from education, you need good health, and for that, you need to play sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-dev/apart-from-education-you-need-good-health-and-for-that-you-need-to/) [Kapil Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-dev/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [Child actors going on to become adult actors never really works, apart from a few. Jodie Foster was the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lester/child-actors-going-on-to-become-adult-actors-never-really-works-apart/) [Mark Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lester/) > [War tore my family apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/war-tore-my-family-apart/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. The denizens of suburbia have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/it-is-in-the-genes-of-cities-to-bounce-back-from-disasters-whether/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) [Browse all 905 Apart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other mainstays of what technology writers have come to call 'the social Web' or 'Web 2.0,' a sizable portion of humanity has learned to be together while apart, sacrificing intimacy for control and spontaneity for predictability.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Kirn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-instagram-and-other-mainstays/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-instagram-and-other-mainstays/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e27/walter-kirn-2189_apart_since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-i_1803243.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other mainstays of what technology writers have come…” — Walter Kirn", "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": "Walter Kirn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Since the founding of Facebook, Twitter,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-instagram-and-other-mainstays/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/since-the-founding-of-facebook-twitter-instagram-and-other-mainstays/#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 } } ] } ```