AnthroCurrents – March 21, 2014

A biweekly look at recent stories on anthropology and practicing anthropologists in the popular media

Our Electronic Lives

• Netflix hired anthropologist Grant McCracken to look at “binge-watching.” Be sure to get off your couch if Grant comes knocking on your door!
• Anthropology gets the nod in an article about parents ignoring their kids while they use their smart phones. Is parent, child, and mobile device the new nuclear family?

Anthropology in Business

• If you happened to see the piece “An Anthropologist Walks into a Bar” last week in the Harvard Business Review, CNN Money has an interview with Christian Madsbjerg. Madsbjerg is one of the authors of the HBR article and Senior Partner at consulting firm Red Associates, Inc. And yes, they do hire anthropologists.
• The Financial Times’ review of the book “The Moment of Clarity: Using the Human Sciences to Solve Your Toughest Business Problems” highlights the role of anthropologists in Lego’s recent success. While this is ultimately not a gushing book review, it provides more examples of how qualitative research can be useful to business. This thought is also covered in 3 Things Marketers Could (and Should) Learn from Anthropologists on the Financial Post site.

Good News for Anthropology Majors

• Head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Gina McCarthy had this to say about her B.S. in social anthropology from UMass Boston: “[it opened] up a world to me in understanding the diversity in the world. It changed the boundaries for me and allowed me to have a whole different view of the world and the people in it.” And you thought the press on anthropology was all negative! [More >>]