I have long advised people interested in a global economic development career to study anthropology, better still, anthropology with development studies, as I did at Sussex University.
There are not enough people focused on understanding people in the technology-for-development world. You see plenty of ‘Technology Advisor’ roles, but where are the “People Advisors?” I do not think I have seen a single technology job description require time spent in the field to understand the human context of technology use in global development…and, no mention of the word “anthropology.”
A question that I often get asked when people get over the shock that I have an anthropology degree, not something computer science-related, is “What on earth would anthropologists be doing playing with mobile phones?”
My anthropology journey
My first taste of anthropology came through Sussex University’s policy to have students select a second degree subject to accompany their Development Studies option (my key interest back in 1996). Social anthropology was one choice. During my degree studies I formed many key ideas and opinions around central pieces of work on the appropriate technology movement and the practical role of anthropology, particularly in global conservation and development work.
Why development anthropology?
In recent years, anthropology has witnessed something of a mini renaissance. As our lives become exposed to more technology, and companies become interested in how technology affects us, anthropologists have found themselves in increasing demand. When Genevieve Bell turned her back on academia and started working with Intel in the late 1990’s, she was accused of “selling out.” Today, anthropologists help influence future innovation and, for many, working in industry has become the thing to do.
Anthropology has a number of sub-fields, but for me, development anthropology has always been the most interesting because of the role it plays in the global development arena. As a discipline it arose from severe criticism of the general development effort, with anthropologists regularly pointing out the failure of many agencies to analyze the consequences of their projects on a wider, human scale. Sadly, not a huge amount has changed since the 1970s, making development anthropology as necessary today as it has ever been. Many academics and practitioners argue that anthropology should be a key component of the development process.
The importance of KYC (Know Your Customer)
It is widely recognized that projects can succeed or fail on the realization of their impacts on target communities. Development anthropology is seen as an increasingly important element in determining these positive and negative impacts. In the consumer electronics sector, particularly within emerging market divisions, anthropologists work within the corridors of hi-tech companies. Intel, Nokia and Microsoft are three such examples. Just as large development projects can go wrong if agencies fail to understand their target communities, commercial products can fail if companies fail to understand their customers.
Selling phones as torches in Uganda. Photo: Ken Banks
The explosive growth of mobile ownership in the developing world is largely down, due to a vibrant recycling market and the initial arrival of cheap $20 feature phones (and now $75 smartphones), but is also down in part to the efforts of forward-thinking mobile manufacturers. Anthropologists working for companies such as Nokia spend increasing amounts of time trying to understand what people with limited disposable income might want from a phone. Mobiles with flashlights are just one example of a product that can emerge from this brand of user-centric design. Others include mobiles with multiple phone books, which allow more than one person to share a single phone and phones which hold multiple Subscriber Identity Modules or SIMs.
Today, mobile devices are closing the digital divide in ways the PC never did. Industry bodies such as the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, (GSM Association), that previously ran Bridging the Digital Divide initiatives, today remain extremely active in the mobile-for-development sector. International development agencies pump hundreds of millions of dollars into economic, health, and educational initiatives centered around mobiles and mobile technology.
I am immensely proud of my anthropology roots, and the insights it has given me in my work. Without it, I would not have successfully conceived and developed FrontlineSMS, a free, open source, messaging platform. I am also proud of my ongoing association with Sussex University as Ambassador for International Development.
And I am always happy to do my part to promote anthropology in the technology-for-development world because I think this world needs more anthropologists to take full advantage of the digital opportunity given.
The post How is anthropology benefiting the technology-for-development world? appeared first on The Anthropology Career Readiness Network.