Introduction - Health/Illness, Biosocialities and Culture

Valle, Carlos Guilherme do; Gibbon, Sahra

doi:10.1590/1809-43412015v12n1p067

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This is a type of connection between individuals, which is centered on biologically based forms of socialization. It gestures towards the interface between developments in biotechnologies, life sciences, social practices and individual and collective subjectivities (Valle & Gibbon, 2015). Olivia Banner (2014: 199) points out the intrinsic link between biosociality and the Foucauldian notion of anatomopolitics where the individual learns to discipline and control her body according to the terms delimited by her biosocial community.…”

Section: Sharing In the Self-tracking Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Personal metrics: Users’ experiences and perceptions of self-tracking practices and data

Ajana

2020

Social Science Information

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Self-tracking is becoming a prominent and ubiquitous feature in contemporary practices of health and wellness management. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a rapid development in digital tracking devices, apps and platforms, together with the emergence of health movements such as the Quantified Self. As the world is becoming increasingly ruled by metrics and data, we are becoming ever more reliant on technologies of tracking and measurement to manage and evaluate various spheres of our lives including work, leisure, performance, and health. In this article, I begin by briefly outlining some of the key theoretical approaches that have been informing the scholarly debates on the rise of self-tracking. I then move on to discuss at length the findings of an international survey study I conducted with users of self-tracking technologies to discuss the ways in which they perceive and experience these practices, and the various rationales behind their adoption of self-tracking in the first place. The article also addresses participants’ attitudes towards issues of privacy and data sharing and protection. These attitudes seem to be dominated by a lack of concern regarding the use and sharing of self-tracking data with third parties. Some of the overarching sentiments vis-à-vis these issues can be roughly categorized according to feelings of ‘trust’ towards companies and how they handle data, a sense of ‘resignation’ in the face of what is perceived as an all-encompassing and ubiquitous data use, feelings of ‘self-insignificance’ which translates into the belief that one’s data is of no value to others, and the familiar expression of ‘the innocent have nothing to hide’. Overall, this article highlights the benefits and risks of self-tracking practices as experienced and articulated by the participants, while providing a critical reflection on the rise of personal metrics and the culture of measurement and quantification.

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Section: Sharing In the Self-tracking Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Personal metrics: Users’ experiences and perceptions of self-tracking practices and data

Ajana

2020

Social Science Information

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“…It gestures towards the interface between developments in biotechnologies, life sciences, social practices and individual and collective subjectivities. 60 The emergence of social media and other Internet enabled platforms has undoubtedly provided new opportunities for building web-based communities where individuals can share their health and disease experiences. As Hagen 61 argues, biosociality has gone 'digital' during the last years.…”

Section: Biosociality and The Quantified Usmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital health and the biopolitics of the Quantified Self

2017

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Recent years have witnessed an intensive growth of systems of measurement and an increasing integration of data processes into various spheres of everyday life. From smartphone apps that measure our activity and sleep, to digital devices that monitor our health and performance at the workplace, the culture of measurement is currently on the rise. Encouraged by movements such as the Quantified Self, whose motto is ‘self knowledge through numbers’, a growing number of people across the globe are embracing practices of self-quantification and tracking in the spirit of improving their wellbeing and productivity or charting their fitness progress. In this article, I examine the biopolitical aspects of the Quantified Self practices, exploring some of the ideologies and rationalities underlying self-tracking culture. I argue that such practices represent an instantiation of a ‘biopolitics of the self’ whereby the body is made amenable to management and monitoring techniques that often echo the ethos of neoliberalism. Rather than being restricted to an individualized form, self-tracking practices are also becoming part of a biosocial and communal phenomenon in which individuals are incited to share with others information about their physical activities and biodata. In exploring some examples of this data sharing culture, I critically address the extent to which the sharing of personal physical data can be seen as a ‘solidaristic’ act that can contribute to a larger Big Data ecosystem and inform the wider medical community and healthcare research and policy. I link this discussion to debates on ‘data philanthropy’, highlighting the emerging tension between philanthropic discourses of data sharing and issues of privacy. From here, I go on to discuss further ethical and political concerns, particularly in relation to data security and the marked shifts in healthcare responsibilities.

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Introduction - Health/Illness, Biosocialities and Culture

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Personal metrics: Users’ experiences and perceptions of self-tracking practices and data

Personal metrics: Users’ experiences and perceptions of self-tracking practices and data

Digital health and the biopolitics of the Quantified Self

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