Summary of 8. Rachel Irwin: Paying attention to and in the body: self-tracking and self-monitoring devices
Key Wellness Strategies and Self-Care Techniques
- Self-Tracking and Self-Monitoring:
- Understanding the long history of measuring health, including growth curves and BMI.
- Recognizing how self-tracking devices mediate our experiences and affect behavior.
- Awareness of societal norms regarding what is considered "normal" or "healthy."
- Ethnographic Research:
- Utilizing participant observation and interviews to study self-tracking practices.
- Engaging with communities (e.g., gyms, Strava users) to understand the social aspects of self-tracking.
- Types of Self-Tracking:
- Exercise and leisure tracking (e.g., using fitness devices like Fitbits).
- Medical monitoring (e.g., diabetes management with glucose monitors).
- biohacking for personal health optimization.
- Quantified Self Movement:
- Exploring self-tracking as a form of self-experimentation and community engagement.
- Participation in meetups and sharing personal experiences related to health data.
- Health Data Ownership and Responsibility:
- Shift in responsibility from healthcare providers to individuals regarding health management.
- The potential stress and anxiety associated with self-monitoring and the pressure to perform healthily.
- Critical Perspectives on Self-Tracking:
- Examining the psychological impacts and societal pressures linked to self-tracking.
- Concerns over the accuracy of health devices and the implications of data sharing with tech companies.
- Balancing Technology and Bodily Awareness:
- The importance of trusting one's own bodily experiences alongside technological data.
- Discussion on the implications of striving for eternal youth and the societal responsibility toward health.
Presenters or Sources
- Rachel Irwin, Associate Professor of Ethnology at Lund University
- Michelle Foucault (concept of medical gaze)
- Sally Engle Merry (governance effects)
- Christensen et al. (ethnographic studies on self-tracking)
- Jesse Cur (Strava and social networks for athletes)
- Lisa Ingstrom (autoethnography on diabetes management)
- Deborah Lu (medical sociology and self-tracking)
- Tomar Shaon (Quantified Self Movement)
- Various articles and discussions on biohacking and self-monitoring practices.
Notable Quotes
— 13:00 — « The authorities say that he's actually too healthy to be on sick leave, while the doctor says he's too sick. »
— 21:41 — « Self-monitoring as a form of neoliberal modality and self-management can be both empowering and very stressful. »
— 36:22 — « This idea of biohacking and living forever is against how I perceive the human being. »
— 36:42 — « Mortality makes us human; there's something intangible and fundamental about this. »
— 55:30 — « It's really easy for me to say this right because I'm not a politician, but I want to give people the tools to think through what's the unintended consequence of this. »
Category
Wellness and Self-Improvement