Abstract
The chapter explores the ongoing debate on agency in human-technology relations and existential media, particularly in the context of self-tracking and Quantified Self practices. While self-tracking enthusiasts view these practices as a means of enhancing epistemic agency—gaining self-knowledge and autonomy in managing health—critics argue that they merely transfer control to technology companies, reinforcing predefined health norms.
Drawing on Gadamer’s distinction between technē (technical application of rules) and praxis (practical judgment), the chapter examines the extent to which self-tracking enables or constrains agency. It also revisits key aspects of the Quantified Self movement, incorporating insights from interviews conducted in 2017 and 2021 with Danish self-tracker Thomas Blomseth Christiansen, who famously alleviated his severe allergies by meticulously tracking his sneezes and other variables. Through this analysis, the chapter considers whether self-tracking fosters greater autonomy or merely reinforces dependence on technological systems.
Drawing on Gadamer’s distinction between technē (technical application of rules) and praxis (practical judgment), the chapter examines the extent to which self-tracking enables or constrains agency. It also revisits key aspects of the Quantified Self movement, incorporating insights from interviews conducted in 2017 and 2021 with Danish self-tracker Thomas Blomseth Christiansen, who famously alleviated his severe allergies by meticulously tracking his sneezes and other variables. Through this analysis, the chapter considers whether self-tracking fosters greater autonomy or merely reinforces dependence on technological systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | in 'Relational Technologies. In Search of the Self in Datified Lifeworlds,' A. Lagerkvist, J. Smolicki (eds.), New York, Bloomsbury, Thinking Media Series |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2025 |