Social Networking – Then and Now at the Smithsonian

In the new Hall of Human Origins in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, a lot of the displays focus on key traits and behaviors that help make us human. One item they highlighted was group survival and the building of social networks. Pooling resources helped us to adapt to our changing environments. Groups also gave the young, the old and the injured a better chance at survival.

Panel at Hall of Human Origins

One thing I particularly appreciated about the Hall of Human Origins– while some panels taught us how our ancestors started gathering at hearths roughly 800,000 years ago, other panels promoted a more contemporary form of social networking. 🙂

MEanderthal App

Twitter at the Hall of Human Origins

For more pictures of the Hall of Human Origins, I direct you to Ryan’s Flickr set. With 289 photos, it’s a much more comprehensive than mine.