Hi! It’s the Anthro Minute with Dr. Melissa Vogel. One contribution of anthropology and archaeology is examining how humanity has coped with technological change over millennia. We interpret the cross-cultural patterns we find, not only to help us understand the past but also the present and even predict future possibilities. Over the course of human existence, big technological changes have spread around the globe, and cultures responded to them in different ways. People made choices about how to integrate new tools into their life to align with their cultural values. Human advancement of technology is not new, but the pace of change has rapidly accelerated with globalization and the information technology revolution. New tools like smartphones, social media and AI have advanced faster than communities can understand their pros and cons, and some dangers have emerged later.
Why does this matter? Because people still have agency, and choices to make about how to implement, adapt or regulate these tools to align with their values. Australia restricted social media for children, many U.S. schools have banned cell phones and Europe has begun to regulate AI. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the AI hype or addicted to your smartphone, remember we are not powerless in the face of technology. We can decide, individually and as a culture, what makes sense to us and how to use our voices, votes and money accordingly.
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