Anthropology & Technology

The impact of technological advancements on human anthropology, our behavior, modality and methods of communication, is an interesting topic to ponder. How will the revolution in technology impact human's modes of relating and what are some of the implications to our lives?  In The Cell Phone: An Anthropology of Communication (Horst & Miller 2006), the researchers examine how cell phone technology impacts Jamaicans lives and experiences specifically. It is grounded in the reality of everyday Jamaican life, "The Cell Phone" succeeds as "...a study of the changes that document and demonstrate what a cell phone can turn into in the hands of a Jamaican, and what a Jamaican can become when they have their hands on a cell phone.”. This is an important piece of scholarship for anyone interested in the impact of technologies on people, cultures and societies and serves as an interesting point of view in considering the implications of other technologies and their impact on all people, regardless of their wealth or education.

While the Cell Phone certainly has made major impacts on human behavior, culture and life, it is but a slice of a more daunting and radical change which is upon us all. For how life and communication was impacted by the portable phone will pale in comparison to more impactful technologies. See the following video to understand at least one example: that of our behavior, interaction and communication methods among each other through the use of global digital networks and computers: http://www.youtube.com/v/6gmP4nk0EOE&rel=1 .