Where We Get the Word Technology and Why It Matters

Everyone knows we're surrounded by "tech." It's reshaping every aspect of society in every corner of the globe, making countless twenty-something millionaires in the process, and keeping kids from playing outside like they used to. Those things might be true. And yet, we're not great at identifying what "tech" really is: ask someone to point it out, and they'll look for the closest object with a glowing screen. This focus, while not exactly incorrect, artificially silos digital devices from the rest of mankind's toolbox, obscuring the rich fabric connecting everything our species has made and done. So, let's step back a bit.