Welcome to the Thoughtful Technosapien, balancing the technology tensions of our time. 

The podcast is developed in collaboration with Engineering Change Lab, a catalyst for change in the engineering community, and hosted by Mark Franklin of CareerCycles, OneLifeTools, U of Toronto’s ILead & producer of Career Buzz. 

In The Thoughtful Technosapien we explore the evolving nature of our relationship with technology at all levels – personal, organizational and societal.

The TECHNO in technosapien refers to the use of technology, which means how we adapt our environment to meet our needs and wants. It’s arguably the most defining characteristic of our species.

We sapiens have co-evolved with our technologies.  When humans invented fire, it allowed us to pre-digest our food, and we eventually evolved less strong jaws as a result.  The evolution of our relationship with technology is fundamental to who we are – even at a biological level.

Today we find ourselves at a point in history seeing everywhere the promise and perils of our technologies.

We see exuberance in places like silicon valley, where technology has in some ways become the new religion.

But we also see fear and concern.

Hollywood movies show cautionary tales about how our relationship with technology will unfold. some are promising stories. But many more ARE disastrous ones.

In The Thoughtful Technosapien, we talk to people at the intersection of interesting technological tensions.

We explore with them how they and YOU can be more intentional in our relationship with technology.

We seek ways to avoid technology misuse. And ensure technology is helping us create the world we want to see.

THIS EPISODE:  Sam Burton is the Director, of Insights at the Mozilla Foundation. Her team leads projects, such as the Internet Health Report, that help us better understand and shape our relationships with technology. Sam has worked at the intersection of technology, culture, and human rights for over a decade. She’s worked with diverse organizations including Engineers Without Borders Canada, the Aga Khan Foundation, and the International Freedom of Expression eXchange.

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