Have you ever pondered how new technological advances have effected the study of humans and their cultures? Well, while researching about anthropology this question sparked in my brain.
Study.com presented a video containing the importance of recurring themes in history. These themes included war, social migration, and industrialization. The idea of industrialization reminded me of a unit in my U.S history class: the industrial revolution. This revolution changed everyday life from laboring in the fields to laboring in factories. With the new prevalence of technological advances, American culture changed. This idea made me reflect and ponder how these new advances have impacted different cultures, and therefore affected the study of anthropology.
Industrialization is something that will continue for as long as humans are alive. People continue to make these incredible innovations to essentially make peoples lives more convenient. People should be grateful about these advances, but I never stopped to wonder how our world would be different in the cultural aspect. America used to be an agrarian society, so the idea was that if you had more crops or bigger land then you were a successful human. Nowadays, the thing that sparks human desire and showcases dominance is geared towards money rather than land, showing how one invention could lead to a major change or development in society.
At first, I thought that that industrialization would have a negative impact on anthropology, but it would just be another factor that researchers now have to take into account. Right now people are all over the highly esteemed "Chat GPT." My friends and I have been thinking about how the usage of AI is going to affect some people's jobs or even the future of school. The way we live and interact could drastically change, meaning society's cultures will face a major shift. Technology is just another aspect that anthropologists have to think about because they have such a major role in society. Anthropologists used to just have to study human interactions to obtain their analysis, but now the connection between technology and humans will be something that goes into their studies.
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