Self-Tracking

It has recently become quite fashionable to use apps to self-track, for instance steps taken in a day, hours billed or people friended. In this way, people turn their experience into quantifiable data for monitoring and evaluation purposes. By the end of 2016, a huge 110 million wearable sensors will be shipped worldwide. This trend is clearly driven by technology, but the authors also attribute it to biomedicalisation in terms of measuring the body or even moods - a whole chapter is devoted to this. The motivations seem to the various forms of self-improvement, including health. At the same time, such data can be collected by manufacturers and commercial interests so as to improved targeted advertising, so interesting privacy issues arise from this.

The authors offer their own advice on getting going with self tracking, including not being too ambitious about measuring things – otherwise there will be a tendency to fall off, as evidenced by industry data indicating that 60% of these devices fall into disuse within 6 months. Speculating about the future of self tracking, the authors comment on the fact that elements of surveillance and control are mixed with empowerment and playfulness. Access to and control of data is critical, and much of the future lies in the hands of users. A 2014 Symantec report on security and privacy of activity trackers found that they could easily be turned into surveillance trackers, and that the apps sent user data to an average of five different Internet domains, with few users being aware of this. This informative book gives pause for reflection about an important emerging technology.