Study on the relationship between technology, data and body isomorphism—The example of smartwatches

Abstract

The Smart Watch has become an important tool for individuals to understand the physical body, construct the technological body and promote the right of self-determination of the body. This study examined the daily self-tracking practices of 25 smartwatch users through participatory observation and semi-structured interviews. On the one hand, the tracking data generated by the smartwatch helps to build the technological body, thus digitizing the body and empowering the individual's body cognition. On the other hand, continuous monitoring results in the body being shaped by technology and data, and people bear the cost of digitization under the power of Technology. This study also noted the care logic of smart watches. When children give their parents smart watches as gifts, a lively and powerful practice of digital care is taking place. The investigation of the self-tracking practice in the use of smart watches is helpful to understand the role of data technology in contemporary life politics from the perspective of human subjectivity.

Keywords

• Smart watch
• Self-tracking
• Technical body
• Digital care