Thoughts from Boston: What is Technology?
The technology in my immediate life is mostly computer and internet-based. I work all day in front of a screen, playing around with new media tools, figuring out how they can be used for marketing and can rarely get my job done for very long if I don’t have internet access (eeek, that sounds mildly pathetic). On the side I research the effects of digital tools on society and neat things like that.
But of course, there’s way more to technology than that. As Managing Director of Girls in Tech Boston, I’ve been spending the last few weeks formulating a (sort of) working definition of what “technology” really means. Wikipedia (technology at work!) has a good definition:
“Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species’ usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species’ ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek “technologia”, “τεχνολογία” — “techne”, “τέχνη” (“craft”) and “logia”, “λογία” (“saying”).[1] However, a strict definition is elusive; “technology” can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques.”
Greek aside, this highlights pretty well the way I think about technology: it’s broad, and comes in many different forms. It’s not just a new gadget that hits the market. It could be Janine Benyus’s extensive research on biomimicry, or really cool tents for the military that are supported by air chambers so they’re super light. Or what about new uses of old technologies, like a gear for a hammer used in an African quarry to get the job done.
As part of my goals for this position, I’d like to think more broadly about what technology means, and encourage members to think about the various forms of technology they experience in their lives and that they see in the lives of those around them.
In the meantime, I’m off to ski racing, and thanking whomever it was who came up with the idea of crafting wool into a heavy weight but really thin pair of pants to keep my legs warm. Technology prevails….
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