After watching Davin Teo\u2019s TED talk on digital forensics, it really got me thinking about
how this very technical field is actually rooted in social sciences as well. In how Davin
described his career and the journey it took to get where he is shows the many
intersections between technology and human behavior that I was not able to fully
explore before. The moment that first struck me was how Davin challenged a common
misconception of digital forensics. Most people see or hear forensics and assume it is
people in lab coats in the laboratory. With Davin\u2019s reality, it is actually very different.
Davin works as a Director for a Global Forensic Technology practice in Asia where he
deals with human situations in digital spaces on a daily basis. It is in learning about this
human element that I was shocked at how digital forensics was not really involving
technology at all. It is a field that is about people. Within the cases he described, they
involved understanding human behavior, motivation, and other kinds of social dynamics.
There would be situations such as corporate investigations or anonymous death threats
being dealt with. In Davin\u2019s work, there were examples that showed that digital forensics
can be seen as a social science. There is the psychological element in understanding
people\u2019s behaviors. There\u2019s the sociology field in analyzing social networks and
understanding group dynamics. There is also criminology being used in applying
theories for criminal behavior in digital environments. In the modern investigations that
Davin does in their position, there is often an interdisciplinary nature to it. Whereas
forensics in the past could go in the more physical route with chemistry, biology, or
physics, digital forensics requires a different skill set with technical skills, legal
knowledge, communication skills, and social science insights. In showing the fascinating
things in this field, it also showed that maybe the best careers today are often the
interdisciplinary ones. The ones where you can put a comprehensive analysis together
based on research into many fields. With our lives becoming more digital by the day, it
is professionals like Davin that are using their skills to be digital psychologists. They
read the digital human behavior and why they commit certain acts. Overall, Davin Teo\u2019s
career as shown in the TED talk really demonstrated that in the field of digital forensics,
it is not just dealing with technical work, but human elements as well. From going from
traditional investigation work to digital forensics shows that social science skills can be
essential even in the most technological areas. In building the future of technology, it is
important to have professions that know how to combine the human and technical
elements. In knowing both sides and views, it helps you gain more knowledge and
insight into the behavior of both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After watching Davin Teo\u2019s TED talk on digital forensics, it really got me thinking abouthow this very technical field is actually rooted in social sciences as well. In how Davindescribed his career and the journey it took to get where he is shows the manyintersections between technology and human behavior that I was not able… <\/p>\n