WASHINGTON (June 21, 2023) - A new exhibit opening this week at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum explores the interconnectivity of the cellphone. The exhibit, “Cellphone: Unseen Connections,” was informed in part by a decade-long research endeavor by a trio of anthropologists at the George Washington University and an even longer collaboration between the university and the Smithsonian.
These GW researchers are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary on their work, which looks into the material and societal culture built by the cellphone. They can discuss the infrastructure, supply chain and materials that support the building and maintenance of cellphones as well as the unseen connections that unite cellphone users around the world. The researchers are working on a study of the effects of cellular technology on teenagers and can talk about the unique benefits and concerns about these devices, including a dependence on cellphones. They can also put the current alarm over this technology into historical perspective.
If you’d like to speak with a GW expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Alexander S. Dent is a professor of anthropology and international affairs. His research interests around the cellphone particularly deal with the interactions high school and college age students have with the cellphone and the impact these devices have on this generation. Dent can also discuss the larger societal impacts and the unseen connections of cellphones. His research also includes topics of piracy and intellectual property, particularly "piracy" of popular culture like music, movies, and TV.
Joel Kuipers is a professor of anthropology and international affairs. He is a linguistic anthropologist interested in the role of language in the description and interpretation of social life, particularly how authoritative discourse shapes institutionally defined activities in clinics, courtrooms, classrooms and religious settings. In addition to his research on the building, deconstructing and repairs of cellphones that have created a material culture around the device, he also explores the linguistic culture driven by cellphones.
Joshua Bell is a professorial lecturer in anthropology and the Curator of Globalization at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. His work includes Oceanic heritage and cultural revitalization and the culture of cellular phones. He can discuss the role of globalization in natural history, the rise and popularity of cellphones, and the risks but also benefits of cellphone use and adaptation.
WATCH: Hear from Professors Dent, Kuipers and Bell on the unique connections of the cellphone and their ongoing research in this video here.
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