QuoteProject
Mass communication--wonder as it may be technologically and something to be appreciated and valued--presents us wit a serious daner, the danger of conformism, due to the fact that we all view the same things at the same time in all the cities of the country. (p. 73)
Rollo May
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Mass communication has both positive and negative aspects; while it connects us, it can also lead to conformism.

Rollo May highlights the dual nature of mass communication in this quote. While technological advancements in communication can bring people together and foster appreciation for shared experiences, there is a significant danger in this connectivity: the risk of conformism. When we all consume the same messages simultaneously, it can stifle individuality and promote a herd mentality, causing critical thinking and personal expression to be overshadowed by societal pressures.

Themes

Mass CommunicationConformismTechnologyIndividualitySociety

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the impact of media on society, one might refer to this quote to highlight the potential loss of individuality.

More from Rollo May

Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before
Rollo MayRead
Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
Rollo MayRead
Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Rollo MayRead
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Rollo MayRead
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Rollo MayRead

Similar quotes

There is a big difference between an honest mistake made in a moment of spiritual weakness and a willfull decision to disobey persistently the commandments of God. Those who deliberately choose to violate God's commandments or ignore the standards of the Church, even when promising themselves and others that someday they will be strong enough to repent, are stepping into a dangerously slippery slope upon which many have lost their spiritual footing.
M. Russell BallardRead
The modern view of criminal justice, broadly, is that public concern with morality or expediency decrees expiation for the violation of a norm; this concern finds expression in the infliction of punishment on the evil doer by agents of the state, the evil doer, however, enjoying the protection of a regular procedure.
Max WeberRead
The human race in the course of time has taken the liberty of softening and softening Christianity until at last we have contrived to make it exactly the opposite of what it is in the New Testament.
Soren KierkegaardRead
The exile is a singular, whereas refugees tend to be thought of in the mass ... What is implied in these nuances of social standing is the respect we pay to choice. The exile appears to have made a decision, while the refugee is the very image of helplessness.
Mary MccarthyRead
Moral responsibility is what is lacking in a man when he demands it of a woman.
Karl KrausRead
The effect of liberty to individuals is that they may do what they please: we ought to see what it will please them to do, before we risk congratulations.
Edmund BurkeRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.