Technology Is Anthropology

HuffPostTech -- a new HuffPost section that launches next Monday -- will cover how technology in general, and the Internet in particular, is changing the way we live our lives.
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That's the thinking behind a new HuffPost section that launches next Monday. HuffPostTech will cover how technology in general -- and the Internet in particular -- is changing the way we live our lives, from politics, education to entertainment. The iPhone 3GS and new Nokia N96 aren't just cell phones or communications devices; for many, they are primary sources of entertainment. Facebook is no mere social networking site; with more than 250 million users, it's a democracy of its own, with a population that rivals some of the world's biggest countries. Indeed, the new section's overlaying concern -- what will connect all the blogs and aggregated news stories in it -- is the thinking that technology is anthropology. It's not the gear, it's the people. Sure, HuffPostTech will feature the biggest stories and storied rivalries in tech, in addition to rising start-ups and new, gotta-have-'em gadgets. But it will always keep in mind that the gadgets we use, the apps we download, the social networking sites we belong to, tell us something about who we are.

Are new technologies pushing our politicians and official Washington -- the White House, Capitol Hill and K Street -- to be more transparent in their actions?

In a world under Facebook, Google and YouTube, what does privacy mean?

How is the bottom-up, "here-comes-everybody," Wikipedia-oriented nature of the social Web upending our traditional model of education? How is it changing the way our kids learn?

We've reached a tipping point in the history of technology. Last year, Americans sent 1 trillion -- yep, trillion -- text messages. Technology is mainstream. We're all techies now and we're all trying to figure out what that means -- the very mission of HuffPostTech. So be a part of the HuffPostTech community. Follow us on Twitter. Become a fan of our Facebook page.

And send us your ideas. What stories should we cover? Which bloggers should we feature? Discuss!

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