the anthropologist and the digital

"The Anthropologist and the Digital," a presentation made as part of the roundtable "Anthropologists On the Job Market: How Departments and Job-Seekers Can Respond To the Employment Crisis," American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, Wednesday, November 20, 2013: 4:00 PM-5:45 PM. Abstract: This presentation covers four topics related to technology and the academic/alt-ac job search, how to: 1. develop a robust professional web presence; 2. leverage social media for research, learning, and networking; 3. use digital tools in research; and 4. master multimedia technology for success in the current job market. Skills in these areas are a critical factor in attaining both academic and alt-academy positions upon graduation from PhD programs. Tenure track search committees increasingly emphasize the importance of instructional technology expertise in job announcements and hiring decisions. In addition, expertise in these areas opens up numerous alt-academy career opportunities in fields such as educational technology, web and app development, documentary film/radio, advertising/marketing, non-academic publishing, and entrepreneurship broadly. While major academic organizations such as the American Historical Association and the Modern Language Association have begun to sponsor discussions on the importance of these skills under the heading of digital humanities, the AAA has yet to address this with similar care.