Tracking the trackers: Self-tracking in households as social practice

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of different types of self-tracking users (trackers) on the health behaviours of others living in the same household. The study takes an international perspective, examining tracking practises from 13 households based in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States to determine how trackers contribute to emerging cultural and social factors across life stages. The findings contribute to digital health understandings by shedding light on collective practises formed within frequently intergenerational households. The study emphasises the importance of cross-cultural and intergenerational tracking research to foster collective and symbolic health engagement. The article delves into the intersection of online and offline dynamics to describe the social practice of digital health culture. It sheds new light on structural and agency issues in households sharing self-tracking experiences.

The Influence of Joe Wicks on Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Thematic, Location, and Social Network Analysis of X Data

“…The theme demonstrated the interconnectedness within households in response to Wicks’ exercise activities. The literature suggests that establishing connections can positively impact home dynamics, facilitate individuals’ willingness to discuss personal health concerns, and initiate sustained improvements in individuals’ health behaviors [ 68 , 69 ].…”

Football Fandom as a Platform for Digital Health Promotion and Behaviour Change: A Mobile App Case Study

“…These examples highlight how self-tracking technologies blur the spatial boundaries between public and private fan relationships; essentially, FanFit/FitBears users are bringing self-tracking into their private/intimate spaces and creating new forms of community and social capital [ 6 ]. As a result, users are not only constructing new methods through which they are personally responsible for their own health but are part of a network of actants, which include the various software algorithms employed along with other users and discourses around ‘fitness’ with those users [ 32 , 33 ]. Here, we can underscore Lupton’s human–app assemblages to explain the interrelationship of the app (technology), data produced, users/bodies recorded, and shifting fitness and social activities [ 11 ].…”

“…One of the things we notice in this paper is how self-tracking technologies act as incentives for the expansion of David Beer’s [ 31 ] data frontiers: ‘ushering in the expansion and intensification of data within organisational and social structures’. This reframing is important when health data frontiers are not simply contained within organisational and social lines; rather, these types of data analytics reflect emerging social activities and point to new territories in which health data may be used in the future [ 32 , 33 ]—for example, by community groups and, in this study, football clubs. This interpretation has far-reaching implications in areas where there is little understanding of personal health records and commercial data usage, as well as how users may be willing to invest in fitness apps if they are directly linked to offline community groups (e.g., football clubs).…”

Self-Tracking among Young People: Lived Experiences, Tensions and Bodily Outcomes

“…Tom was quite keen on improving his performance and used his peers' data outputs as a benchmark for his performance. Sharing results and comparing performances with social groups can be a motivation for adopting self-tracking but also a validation of the personal effort (Hardey, 2022). Similarly, Jacob discussed the importance of competition in online communities: 'I just wanted to see how I was doing compared to other people by age.…”