The Quantified Self

by Deborah Lupton

With the advent of digital devices and software, self-tracking practices have gained new adherents and have spread into a wide array of social domains. The Quantified Self movement has emerged to promote 'self-knowledge through numbers'. In this groundbreaking book Deborah Lupton critically analyses the social, cultural and political dimensions of contemporary self-tracking and identifies the concepts of selfhood and human embodiment and the value of the data that underpin them. The book incorporates discussion of the consolations and frustrations of self-tracking, as well as about the proliferating ways in which people's personal data are now used beyond their private rationales. Lupton outlines how the information that is generated through self-tracking is taken up and repurposed for commercial, governmental, managerial and research purposes. In the relationship between personal data practices and big data politics, the implications of self-tracking are becoming ever more crucial.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Sociology, Academic, Biology, Economics, Psychology

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Carlos Eliseo Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a study of quantified self. It discusses its positive aspects from the perspective of lifelogging, health care, and general knowledge of oneself. Lupton also discusses the negative aspects. The book goes into interesting and complicated details. The author discusses such things as “the Foucauldian concept of panopticon,” (59) This book is of interest to anyone who is into self-tracking.

[Kyrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit worried when I'd realized I'd bought a "sociological critique", but this is not THAT kind of book. There are only a few pages on Foucault and even those avoid the usual secret-tree-house word games so often polluting work in the humanities.

Lupton is lucid and erudite: speaking clearly to number of possible audiences. She deals with the political and sociological issues at stake in different kinds of self-tracking with levity and impartiality (excepting the book's post-script).

This is not so much an analysis as a survey of the field. Not quite ethnographic but certainly enlightening and comprehensive. The book gives a brief digest of how the QS started, what it stands for and the multiplicity of views within the movement. This is not a technical book and Lupton does not collect any data nor is there a particular evaluation of individual tools - it is a qualitative exploration of key themes emerging from the field.

Rather refreshing to read something so clear sighted rather than cheerleading like "Nudge" or condescending and doom-laden like Morozov or Yuval Harari (who claimed the QS "believe the self is just a collection of numbers")

[Will Renius · Rating 5 out of 5]

A conglomeration of many perspectives in the quantified self movement, well organized to visit the main elements and concerns of the space. This is a good introduction to the thoughts and concerns of quantified selfers and provides a lot of material to dig further into for those interested in learning more. A lot of time is spent conveying similar experiences from different sources to the point where it can seem like notes for reference materials. I'd like to see more time spent on summarizing themes and providing context, but this is a good starting point.

[Jorun Bork · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting academic evaluation of modern self-tracking technology and its implications. Would definitely recommend.

[Ari Stillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book thoroughly discusses the breadth of self-tracking practices many people partake in toward the end of self-betterment, accountability, or staying on top of one's biology. The author problematizes data-sharing – often without the individual's knowledge – and work cultures that encourage self-tracking for lower insurance premiums that may goad individuals who are uncomfortable with self-tracking to do so in order to save money. For many self-tracking mechanisms, users can't even access and don't own their own data, thereby entering the larger conversation of privacy, surveillance, and compensation. Overall, it's an illuminating book that has made me reconsider my own self-tracking and what kind of data I am inadvertently sharing with third parties.

[John Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good although some sections felt like lists of shorter or longer examples rather than analysis.

The material on self-governance is excellent, and the material on wider uses of data are helpful.

Other sections feels a little underdeveloped, perhaps because technology moves fast enough that the obvious now was unknown then. This applies particularly to the sections on communal self-tracking, which is brief and doesn't touch on questions around competition or unwanted exposure to other people's data.

[Alfredo Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un excelente compendio de la historia y avance de la cultura del «yo cuantificado», pero también un testimonio muy valioso de la variedad de dispositivos y los usos que se les dan. Me llevo sobre todo la crítica al reforzamiento de un «yo» estereotipado, pero aún más las formas creativas de convivir con esta información de una manera más libre y menos numérica.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of theoretical perspectives, discourses, and practices in/around Quantified Self. Extremely readable and useful for teaching/learning a variety of STS frameworks (assemblage, ANT, feminist and postcolonial STS, etc.).

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the book on tech wearables, I’d be surprised (and excited) to read any sort of think piece on garmin , strava , whatever that wasn’t in homage to the massive scope of this relatively short overview on self quantification

[Stefan Reisner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a thesis - quite dry. I confused it with the quantifiedself.com platform. Didn't finish it.

[Sangsoo Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's inspirable for the self-logging movement and the technological application around the movement.

[Dirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, analytic discussion of studies on self-tracking.

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy bueno, en especial el capítulo de perspectivas teóricas. Funciona como guía para entender la relación entre tecnología e identidad (selfhood).