Introduction to Self Tracking and Contemporary Trends
- Since when were people fascinated by Self Tracking?
- Soaring of Quantified Self
- Creation of Medical Self Monitoring Tool
Since when were people fascinated by Self Tracking?
People have long kept records of themselves. Some of the earliest recorded literary forms are logs or diaries, such as the Diary of Merer written on papyrus around 2500 BC. The earliest medical records were baked in clay in Ancient Mesopotamia, demonstrating the importance and assistance Self Tracking has had and for medical understanding and treatment.
“Self Tracking involves practices in which people knowingly and purposively collect information about themselves, which they then review and consider applying in their lives.”
Sociologist Deborah Lupton
The definition of Self Tracking is a social technology that concentrates on measuring and recording human activities and behaviors. The concept of Self Tracking is usually associated with health and fitness applications embedded within wearable devices. Both the Appstore and Google Play are bombarded with applications categorized as ‘Health and Fitness’; ranking 9th out of 34th in Appstore and 13th out of 33rd in Google Play.
Self Tracking applications may have varied focus, they generally record and track user’s body function, health status, diet, sporting activities, daily schedule, etc, to help maintain good physical and psychological health. Most Self Tracking Applications apply digital technology for recording and analyzing the collected raw data. The digital interpretation in Self Tracking led into a whole new aspiration in the field.
Soaring of Quantified Self
Quantified Self is a term used to describe the day to day approach to Self Tracking, through involvement of digital devices such as using activity tracker or sleep monitors in means of collecting and reviewing bodily data.
Quantified Self was first founded by two Wire Magazine editors in 2007. These two editors, Kevin Kelly and Gary Wolf recognized that many of their colleagues and friends were comfortable performing self tracking in their day-to-day lives and using certain digital applications or devices to do so. By organizing meetings and interviews with people who are into self tracking through digital devices, Kelly and Wolf established a website coined from the same name, “The Quantified Self”.
Now it is common to compute medical data such as height, weight and blood type when setting new devices and most devices hold Self Tracking functions. Quantified Self is now commonly accepted as necessary for monitoring physical health, with a new focus on mental health the next logical step.
Medical Self Monitoring Tool
The general focus of this website lays in Medical Self Monitoring Device. The purpose of Medical Self Monitoring Device is to perform Self Tracking in a professional manner that can support people who are suffering of mental disturbances. The word ‘Medical’ and ‘Professional’ is emphasized as it differs to Self Tracking devices that are focused on self-discipline. As mentioned on the Home Page, purpose of the website lays in sharing knowledge of Medical Self Monitoring Devices (MSMD) as an alternative treatment for mental disturbances. Its purposes lay on recording and analyzing data in medical treatments.
