Those who follow this blog or listen to the podcast know I have a special appreciation for Twitter. I’m on others, but Twitter is one of my favorites because it is immediate and you get a chance to interact with some very creative and interesting people.
I provided that lead-in because every now and then I run into someone on Twitter who makes me stop dead in my tracks, and I want to know more about them and their ideas. My podcast guest Amber Micala Arnold is one of those people. What struck me about her was her “eye” or powers of observation. Roaming around her blog gave me new insight into how technology in general and social media in particular are changing our concept of distance, the language we speak (does selfie ring a bell), and ultimately how we interact with each other.
And then I understood why. She comes from a background that required her to learn to communicate with a lot of different people; which she says developed in her a passion for communication. That passion caused her to acquire undergraduate degrees in Linguistics and Cultural Anthropology from Duke, and a Masters in communication Practice from Columbia. All of that combines into what feels like a social scientist with a photographer’s eye that observes and then provides analysis.
Using these skills as a cultural strategist she professionally helps others understand the “human” element in technology. Things like how we adapt or incorporate all our new devices into our lives and it’s impact when we form personal relationships, function in business, or the very words we speak. She very convincingly advocates that fields like anthropology can and must work with the developers of technology to promote new business ventures created by our adaptation to these new means of communication. Moving in a different direction she also helps businesses craft a message that takes into account these cultural shifts to target their market.
Listen to the podcast to have Amber detail her history and describe her passion for communication. I also highly recommend you visit her website or roam through her blog from this link . You will see tech’s interaction with Anthropology in a whole new light.
