Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar 28:3:2055207617699767.
doi: 10.1177/2055207617699767. eCollection 2017 Jan-Dec.

Making sense with sensors: Self-tracking and the temporalities of wellbeing

Martin Berg  1
Affiliations

Making sense with sensors: Self-tracking and the temporalities of wellbeing

Martin Berg. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Self-tracking devices and apps often measure and provide interpretations of personal data in a rather straightforward way, for instance by visualising the speed and distance of a run or the quality of sleep during night. There is, however, a growing number of devices claiming to support increased wellbeing by extensive data analysis to provide insights and algorithmic advice about unseen and neglected dimensions of our lives, bodies, and experiences. This article engages with two devices of this kind, namely the Moodmetric and the ŌURA which are two recently released 'smart' rings with associated smartphone apps that claim to measure emotions and rest, promote happiness and help users to perform better. Focusing on how certain values, visions and ideas are used to frame and explain the potential functionality of these devices, this article approaches the discursive underpinnings of their design as deeply intertwined with the temporalities of late modernity. Empirically, the article is based on a discourse analysis of blog posts, marketing materials and user guides from the ŌURA and Moodmetric companies along with video recordings of the public appearances and sales pitches of company representatives.

Keywords: Self-tracking; algorithms; late modernity; smart jewellery; social acceleration; sociology; temporality; wellbeing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Williamson B. Algorithmic skin: Health-tracking technologies, personal analytics and the biopedagogies of digitized health and physical education. Sport Educ Soc 2014; 20: 133–151.
    1. Ruckenstein M, Pantzar M. Beyond the quantified self: Thematic exploration of a dataistic paradigm. New Media & Soc 2015; 19: 401–418.
    1. Simmel G. The metropolis and mental life. In: Frisby D, Featherstone M. (eds). Simmel on culture: selected writings, London: Sage, 1997, pp. 174–186.
    1. Rosa H, Scheuerman WE. High-speed society: social acceleration, power, and modernity, University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2009.
    1. Tomlinson J. The culture of speed: the coming of immediacy, London: Sage, 2007.

LinkOut - more resources