At electric speeds patterns become so clear that 
even bureaucrats begin to get the message. This is 
new, though: things used to change gradually 
enough to be imperceptible, but today the patterns 
of change are declaring themselves very vividly 
because of the speed at which they occur. This is 
what pollution comes from: pollution is merely the 
revelation of a changing situation at very high 
speeds.

Marshall McLuhan, “Electric Consciousness & The 
Church: Marshall McLuhanTalks to Hubert Hoskins,” 
The Listener , v.83 no. 2139, March 26, 1970.