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SELF-KNOWLEDGE THROUGH DIGITAL SELF-TRACKING DEVICES:

Design Guidelines for Usability and A Socio-Technical Examination from Posthumanity Perspective

11.05.2015M.A. Thesis Jury DefenseBURCU AVCI

Outline

The Digital Era introduces emerging product categories that have evolved

around certain habits and concepts. One tendency in the Information Age is

recording and storing quantitative and qualitative data based on an individual's

life by using ubiquitous computing devices. Such products, bringing

self-observation and autobiographical memory capabilities to an extreme level,

have the potential to morph human beings by augmenting and altering their self-understanding through presenting previously non-existent information

regarding their lives. The diversity found in this product range is increasing

parallel to the growing demand. However, the meaning of these products for

human life is rarely discussed. It remains a question whether these personal

logs lead to an enriched self-knowledge for their users or not. This thesis aims to investigate the design principles and the influences of self-tracking products and services on daily life within a socio-technical framework in order

to establish a connection between self-tracking by ubiquitous computing devices

and the notion of self-concept.

Abstract

CHAPTER 1What is self-tracking?

CHAPTER 2Developing design guidelines for the two main functions of self-tracking devices

CHAPTER 3Influences of self-tracking on the nature of human beings




Outline

CHAPTER 1What is self-tracking?

CHAPTER 2Developing design guidelines for the two main functions of self-tracking devices

CHAPTER 3Influences of self-tracking on the nature of human beings

1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

CHAPTER 2

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




1.1 Definitions of Self-Tracking

1.2 Product Examples

1.3 A Socio-Technical Exploration of

Commercial Self-Tracking Products

CHAPTER 1A Background for Digital Self-tracking







“Memory Extender” (Memex) in 1945: Record and store all information of one’s lifespan and function as a supplement for biological memory

CARPE (Continuous Archival and Retrieval of Personal Experiences):Aims to continuously

keep a track of daily

activities through a

product

The process of creating an artificial memory through passively archiving individuals' life experiences in digital format.

The process of collecting and reflecting on personal data to regulate and gain an understanding for one’s own behaviour.

PIM: (Personal Information Management)Organise, retrieve and

control a data network

where every digital

footprint of an

individual is collected

Active participation to reach goals

Health monitoring

Bodily data through biosensors

Principle level goals with ideals

Gamification

Detecting problems and making changesDefined as “positive technologies”Claimed to bring insight and self-knowledge

What is Self-Tracking?

Lifelogging Personal Informatics

1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1




1) Recording information automatically through sensors and storing it in a hard disk2) Retrieving stored information through a software

Self-watching system for life tracking: Stimulation of

muscles, heart beat, walking pace, voice input and

output, miniaturized head-mounted display and

cameras with wireless connections

Visual memory prosthetic

Perception enhancer

Design Guidelines:

Mobility, embodiment, immediacy

Second skin, third eye, second brain

Database with images, audio, documents, web

browsing history, sent and received messages,

phone calls, location data

Design Guidelines:

Associative system instead of hierarchical

Photographic visualizations for easier retrieval

Annotations for their narrative value

Hyperlinks within the archive

Memex vision: Supplementing biological memory

How Do Self-Tracking Devices Work?

WearComp, 1970’s MyLifeBits, 2001

1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1

1) Recording information automatically through sensors and storing it in a hard disk2) Retrieving stored information through a software

Sensor Types: Accelerometers (felt speed change), GPS (location and

time data), ECG (electrical activity of heart, PPG (optically measuring

pulse), EEG (electrical activity in the brain),GSR (level of sweat showing

distress or arousal), temperature, moisture, sound and light sensors

Product Types: Smart phones, wristbands, lifelogging applications,

smart watches, patches, reality-augmenting glasses, head-mounted

cameras, body-metric textiles, activity monitoring, medical tracking

Software Platforms: Reading information, interpreting data, meaning

making, activating lifelogging devices

How Do Self-Tracking Devices Work?

Commercial Products

1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1




Discovery of new tools

Interest in data

Triggering events (ex: Health problems)

The desire to hear suggestions

Regarding the Archives:

Temporality is captured and materialized permanently

Seeking timelessness

Evidential value

It is about the act of collecting rather than the collection itself

Immortality: “Mind uploading”

Death drive: Erasing memoirs by burying them into an archive, “decay of aura”

Personal Drives for Keeping Lifelogs1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1




1.1 DEFINITIONS

1.2 EXAMPLES

1.3 FRAMEWORK

CHAPTER 1




Feasibility of enhanced sensor

and storage technologies

Technological determinism: Technology as an agent for social

change

Push strategies in the market:

Making customers accept

regardless of needs

Pull strategies in the market with

the increasing demand

“Selfie”

A cultural reflection in language

Online communitiesQuantified Self (Self-Knowledge

Through Numbers)

Crowdfunded projects

Pebble smart watch, Emotiv

brain tracker

DIY products and forums are

signs of prosumer culture

(proactive consumers)

Surveillance transforming into

voluntary sousveillance

Violation of others’ privacy

Permanent pressure of an open

arrest, an imprisonment

Commercialized data, medical

e-commerce ventures through

health data

“To be forgotten” as a human right

Socio-Technical Extents for the Demand

Economical Social Political

2.1 An Overview Of Self-concept

2.2 Self-observation Through Self-tracking Devices

2.3 Augmenting Autobiographical Memories

Through Lifelogging

2.4 Design Principles For Self-tracking Devices

That Contribute To Self-knowledge

CHAPTER 2The Design Of Digital Self-observation And Autobiographical Memory Systems




The Concept of “Self”

Self-Concept The total sum of beliefs

that people have about

themselves Making the Self-Concept Content (Self-as-Known)

Structure (Self-as-Knower)

Self-AwarenessSelf-focused attention, selective processing and

encoding of self-relevant information about the self

Self-Knowledge = Self-Description (memories of the past)

= Self-Evaluation (observations towards the future)

Collecting informationProcessing data

LifeloggingPersonal Informatics

SelectivitySelf-relevance

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




The Self is An Outcome of...

Physiological and genetic biological processes

Existential conditions of subjective experiences

Social practices that involve interactions with others

The unconscious thought

Conscious, cognitive ways of mentally processing information including:Memory, thinking, feeling, motivational processes such as personal control and self-regulation

Especially the last category is directly related with the two main functions of self-tracking devices: Memory and observation

Developmental Models of the Self

The Changing Self

ChildhoodFactual, Objective, concretePrivate, intrinsic

StableAccurate, true factsContinuous, linearCoherentUnity

DynamicDistorted, biased narrativesShifts, self-seekingChanging Multiplicity

AdulthoodSymbolic, meaningfulSubjective, interpretativeSocial , context-specific

ConsistentIntegrated

Adaptive

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Developing a Sense of Self through Self-Observation

The Rouge Test

The self-directed behaviors of rouge marked infants

towards their own faces instead of the mirrors

showed the existence of self-awareness in infants

through using mirrors

Pictures and videos are

also for increasing

self-awareness by seeing one’s self

Representational Tools

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Motives, Methods and Dynamics of Self-Evaluation

Self-Enhancement

Placing one's self in positive

positions

Self-Assessment

Creating accurate representations

of the self

Self-Verification

Maintaining consistency

Self-Improvement

Expanding the self beyond its

current boundaries or limits for

identifying new avenues of

self-expression

Self-Other Distinctions

Separation and individualization

Private-Social Selves

Referential processing

Public judgments

Socially desirable responses

Self-blame, decreased motivation

Past-Present-Future Selves

Struggle with current self

Based on personal values

Abstract and strong distant goals

Actual-Desired Selves

Hierarchical goals for an ideal self

Self-Regulation

The overall process of

behavioural control through;

Self-observation,

Judgmental processes and

Self-response

Self-regulation is directly

connected to self-tracking

devices for observing, assessing and acting upon the self.

Motives Methods Dynamics 2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Motives, Methods and Dynamics of Self-Evaluation

Perceptual Control Theory (PCT)Hierarchical organization for goalsParallel, simultaneous processingEmotions, mental control, behavioral guides, attention Construal Level Theory (CLT)

Motivation for abstract goals are higher

Personal values are involved

Require deliberate focus

Motivation for concrete goals are lower

Personal values are less involved

Easier to achieve with no focusACT ACT

BE

DO

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Self-Regulation as a Feedback Cycle

Cybernetics

Self-Regulation Information Processes

The science of communication and

control that studies abstract princi-ples of organization in complex systems, where information, mod-

els and controlled actions steer

towards purposes, while counter-

acting various disturbances.

1) Defining: Goals or behavioral standards

TOTE (Test-Operate-Test-Exist)

Test: Comparison of the existing

state to desired state

Operation: Action process where

existing state is altered

Test: Comparing until existing and

desired states are equals

Exit: End sequences according to

the outcome of the loop

2) Regulating: Actions in respect to the goals

TOTE

Self-Awareness Theory

The consciousness of the lack of

compatibility between existing

and desired states result in

reducing one’s self-awareness.

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




The Observer’s Presence in a Feedback Cycle

Second-Order Cybernetics

The role of the observer in the construction of

systems

Observer; is not neutral and detached

has assumptions

changes the results of observations

Self-consciousness;requires the presence of the observer as a condition

Observers in Self-Tracking; "What I perceive as the agent of my own experiences",

"What the computer reads from my experiences"

"What knowledge I make of the computer-generated

outputs regarding my experiences."

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




The Observer’s Presence in a Feedback Cycle

Observers in Self-Tracking

I

Experiences, perceptions

and cognitive actions are

the first-hand knowledge

of the world, not data

Knowing is a way of doing

Autopoiesis: Self-making

The observer sees only

what its system allows

him to see

Computer

Users are automatically

observed with sensors

and abstract data is

signified by the software

Regarding flexibility:

Which domains are

observed?

Regarding objectivity:

Commands of the

designer and programmer

makes it subjective

I + Computer

Interaction between the

message and the receiver

Hybridity:

The computerized and the

intrinsic knowledge are

integrated

Schemas:

Knowledge is mentally

constructed through

personal filters rather

than being passively read

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Design Directions for Personal Informatics Devices

Defining Goals Assisting users for defining goals

Self-relevant goals

Several goals with a hierarchy

Ideal self with personal values

Future-directed goals

Monitoring Behaviour Gathering and presenting data

Flexibility of gathering data

Watching motivational factors

Self-tailored feedbacks

Developmental social models

Preventing referential blame

Visually concrete desired self

Narrative literacies

ACT ACT

BE

DO

Taking Action

TOTE

Guiding users for reaching goals

Testing goals before operating

Acting simultaneously on goals

Testing progress and goals

Completing the loop

A Description of Autobiographical Memory

Self-Memory Systems

Self is rooted in the meaningful descriptions built into autobiographical memoriesBuilding digital personal archives are integrated into this biological mechanism

Conceptual model for the dynamic processes involved in the autobiographical memoriesMainly explains encoding, storage, retrieval processesInteractions between the memory storage & the control centre units

1) Autobiographical Knowledge BaseRaw material

Internal and external sources

Episodic & semantic memories

Limited

2) Working SelfRegulates encoding and retrieval

Selective filters according to:

Goals, interactions, coherence

Directive, social, self functions

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




TOTE (Test-Operate-Test-Exist)

Test: Comparison of the existing

state to desired state

Operation: Action process where

existing state is altered

Test: Comparing until existing and

desired states are equals

Exit: End sequences according to

the outcome of the loop

Self-Awareness Theory

The consciousness of the lack of

compatibility between existing

and desired states result in

reducing one’s self-awareness.

Autobiographical Knowledge Base

Memory Types Content Structure

Provides raw material for building memories with permanent representation types

Biological Constraints

Trace Decay: Losing associations

Interference: Rewriting

Source-Monitoring Error: External

Episodic Memories:(Similar to lifelogging)

Factual, concrete, mostly visual

With people, place, time details

Hierarchical grouping

“Lifetime periods”

“General events”

“Event-Specific Knowledge”

Semantic Memories:Meaningful and abstract

General self-knowledge of life

Visual-Spatial Traces: Objects, people and places

Visual-Temporal Traces: Events and actions

Verbal, Sensory, Affective Traces: With vividness, intensity attributes

Spatial Traces: First-person “field” view / Third-person “observer” view

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Working Self

Functions of Autobiographical Memories Self Function

Control unit of the self-memory system, an adaptive mechanism

Directive Function: Guidelines from past experiences

Social Function: Maintaining social bonds by sharing events

Self Function: Creating a coherent sense of self

Correspondence & Coherence

True to the event / self or not

True Memories

Vivid, accurate, validating

False Memories

Interpreted, distancing

Self-Narratives

Story telling for present goals

Cue Avoidance

Forgetting the unwanted self

Principles of the Working Self

Memory Consolidation: Selectively emphasized memories

Variables for Encoding: Uniqueness, consequentiality,

unexpectedness, emotion provoking aspects

Associative Cues: Interconnected patterns of activation:

Location, time, activity, behaviours, perceptual cues, evaluations

Generative Retrieval: Activities / goals & refined content-frame

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




Design Directions for Lifelogging Devices

Autobiographical Knowledge Base Working Self Hardware Components: Hard disk, Sensors

Storage and perceptual mechanisms supported:

“Interference” can be fixed by reliable storage

Verbal cues need to support with visual cues

Indexing memories by memory attribute cues

“Trace decay” can be fixed by association

Accessive links through a hyperlinked system

Software Components: Interface

Selectivity recording instead of passive logging

Hierarchically dividing episodic data and linking events

Guiding tagging and filter creation

Prioritizing activity contents and goals, not time stamps

Making meaning by affective, semantic, evaluative cues

Adding notations and annotations for narrative quality

Digital forgetting & creative treatment of memories

Main Principles:

1) Selectively encoding of records

2) Organization of episodic information

3) Selective retrieval of records

Directive functions: Causality & consequences

Self functions: Digital forgetting = locking, filtering tags

creativity / accuracy balance

Social functions: Stories shaped for the audience

Operational Design Principles for Self-Tracking Devices

Content Structure Grasping “Self-as-Known”

1) Self-Relevance Principle

Personal significance of collected information

“To be” goals meaningful on a personal level

“Memory consolidation:” Selectively emphasizing

2) Revealing Principle

Showing new perspectives

Being a mirror for the unknown

Discovering the hidden sides of the self

Ex: Unconscious dynamics (Sleep data)

3) Developmental Models Principal

Differences from childhood to adulthood

Interactions of “Self-as-Knower”

4) Hierarchy Principle

Hierarchical goals (PCT), parallel processing

Grouping episodic memories within a hierarchy

5) Association Principle

Including perceptual, sensory and attribute cues,

Hyperlinked system with connected cues

6) Selectivity Principle

Triggering records according to personal choices

Strategic reasoning for retrieval

7) Main Functions Principle

Directive, social, self functions: Coherent self

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




1) Autobiographical Knowledge BaseRaw material

Internal and external sources

Episodic & semantic memories

Limited

Strategic Design Principles for Self-Tracking Devices

Modeling the self as a linear entity after modernist vision

Self-seeking for becoming

Meaning through associations

Morphing values, changing selves

Consistency in the multiplicity of the self

Expansion with developmental shifts

Creative dimensions

Modeling the self with dynamics

Life stories with a timeline

Consistency in unity

Progression

Perfection

Steady enhancements

2.1 SELF-CONCEPT

2.2 OBSERVATION

2.3 MEMORY

2.4 DESIGN

CHAPTER 2




3.1 Historical Perspectives on the Self and

the Techniques for Self-Tracking

3.2 The Impact of Technology on the Changing

Forms of Identity

CHAPTER 3Towards a Mediated Sense of Self




3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Historical Perspectives on the Self and the Self-Tracking Methods

Consciousness

“Conceptual Self”Cognitive abilities to define “I”Ownership

LanguageNumerals, ideograms, writingCommodities, social status

Cultural Context Methods

EgyptiansEvidential value HieroglyphicsReligion, for afterlife

Ancient GreeceUnderstanding wisdom of the soulKnowing one’s true selfDuplicity Theory: Self-/ Awareness

Oral tradition, power of memoryCognitive effort with no written toolsSeeing one’s self / tools as reflection

Philosophical stance“Know thyself”“Myth of Narcissus”

Hellenistic PeriodActive concern for taking good care

“Vigilance:” Keeping careful watchActions towards physical healthWritten tradition: Diaries, depictions

Self-interest for body’s well-being

Historical Perspectives on the Self and the Self-Knowledge Methods

Consciousness

The Middle AgesSelf-examinationSelf-abandonment and affirmation

Christianity’s religious obligationsGod as the spectator

First autobiography: “Confessions”Self-control by a stage-based model

Cultural Context Methods

RenaissanceBack to: “Know thyself”Self-interestUnique personality of the self

Skepticism of beingThinking as the source of actuality

HumanismMan as the measure of lifeIndividualization

“Cogito ergo sum:” I think therefore I am

Genres of auto -portrait / -biographyPrinted ego-documents, memoirsSubjective expressions

Intrinsic self-knowledgeMind over matter

Age of EnlightenmentFacts about the selfPersonal experiences

“Reason”s suppression over religion“Self-made man”

Observations of the self and the otherSelf-knowledge through interactions

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Historical Perspectives on the Self and the Self-Knowledge Methods

Consciousness Cultural Context Methods

Post-Industrial PeriodInformation RevolutionIncreased computing & automationNecessity for meaning

Not to have, but to be through goodsAccurate, concrete, no interpretationDifficulty in meaning making

Product-Service System (PSS)Digital input: SensorsDigital output: Data

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Industrial PeriodDehumanizationSelf towards efficiencyLowered self-expressionMechanic limits for thinkingIdentity crisisIncreased representations of self

Self-fulfillment and expression

Life choices of the self-made man

Industrial RevolutionTaylorismMan / Machine DichotomyNature / Man DichotomyAlienation to work, producing, selfChanges in technologies & lifestyles

Romanticism

Existentialism and individualization

Mechanic techniquesControl, progress, speedAutomated techniquesTypewriterStereotypical living with less insightCommercialization of photography

Art

Intrinsic self-examination for choices

Summary for the Historical Perspectives on Self/-Tracking

Consciousness Cultural Context Methods

Increased social affirmation

Changing religions

Changing philosophies

Changing lifestyles

Increased popularity

Technology as a part of culture

Constant intellectual effort

No steady improvements

Technology for self-awareness

Decreased cognitive effort *

Less creative treatments *

Fragmented self *

Lowered self-awareness *

Self-interest for technology *

(* Chapter 3.2 )

Improved (?) techniques

Towards mechanic, automated

Augmented cognition *

Analogue to digital *

Accurate outcomes *

Mechanized outputs of self-data

Today

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Relating Self-Tracking to Posthumanism and Transhumanism

Cyborg

Man’s ability to make tools

Tools Makers of tools

Augmentation of “humanity”

ex: Clothes, wheels (Body)

ex: Counting, writing (Mind)

Man-machine system

Cyborg: Cybernetic organism

Mechanical elements built-in

Regulating adaptation

Set man free to explore, think

Transhumanism

Transition stages to posthuman

Evolution

Darwinism

Progress for bettering

Eugenic thought

Superior human model

Help of technology

Ideal�self

Perfectionism of species

Rationally controlling nature

Posthumanism

Transcendence of “humanity”

1) Homo “Sapiens” = “to be wise”

Augmented cognitive capacities

Altered intelligent act:

Handling information of the life

Partial amplifications

2) Singularity: Man = Machine

Living, non-living blended

Human, inhuman morphed

Unity of physical and virtual

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Relating Self-Tracking to Posthumanism and Transhumanism

Transhumanism

Transition stages to posthuman

Evolution

Darwinism

Progress for bettering

Eugenic thought

Superior human model

Help of technology

Ideal self

Perfectionism of species

Rationally controlling nature

Principles Behind Self-Tracking

Self as a political construct

1) The Will to Overcome the Current Self

The will to improve current self: Progress, growth, speed

Reaching a culturally mediated, ideal self

2) Control Over the Body and Mind

“Being in control” of one’s nature within rational boundaries

Constant self-watching and surveillance

3) “Survival of the Fittest” Theory

Competition through gamification

Self-awareness is more about awareness of the rivals

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Age of EnlightenmentFacts about the selfPersonal experiences

“Reason”s suppression over religion“Self-made man”

Observations of the self and the otherSelf-knowledge through interactions

Categorical Distinctions and Unities for Posthumanism

Distinctions

Dualisms & Dilemmas for Technology

Man - Machine

Nature - Artifacts

Superiority of Mankind

Privileged status for man for indistinct definitions

Fear of Technology

Machines’ control over human

Transformative powers

Existential Risk:

Threats for extinction

End of human intellect

Unities

Blurred Boundaries

Man as machine, machine as man

New Possibilities for Humanity

Redefining the limits of daily life

Expanding the boundaries of human body

Freeing from historical constructs

The Second Self

Multiple identities

Cutting across real life distinctions: Race, class

Reconstructing the self

Decentralized identities, no self/other distinction

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Towards a Mediated Sense of Self

Mediations of the Self Sources of Self-Understanding

Semantics of Codified Knowledge

In”form”ation vs. Information

Metadata

Fragmented self

Data Overload

Exponential increase in self-representations

Readability

Redundancy factor

Perceptions of Reproductions

Blindness and de-realization

New Essences for SelfhoodExistence within Virtuality

Self in Representations

Absence-as-presence

Ontology of the Virtual Self

Simulacrum

Cyborg’s Dilemma

Natural embodiment, detachment from nature

“Enframing”

Agency of the Self

Routines of self-control

Transcoding: Language and actions of computing

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Mediations of the Self: Sources of Self-Understanding


In”form”ation “In-formare” (Form within): To give form, shape, or character

Empirical evidence with referential qualities of the factual reality

InformationIndependent entity of signaling with no referential quality

Mathematical processes of sending and receiving message

Data > Information > “Codified Knowledge”

Not linked to “Tacit Knowledge” or the knowledge of life experiences

MetadataData about data. Referential, but lack narrative qualities for meaning

Fragmented selfData fragments, obstructs, destabilizes the unity of self-knowledge

There is no direct transformation from self-data to self-knowledge

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3





Data Overload

Exponential increaseMoore’s Law: Every 18 months computing capabilities are multiplied

Data pollution causes noise

ReadabilityFor infinite information different meaning generation processes

Handling information is not possible

Paralyzes the ability to respond knowledgeably

Redundancy factorRedundancy exists in human communication; Makes it noise

resistant and enables focusing attention to the important

Context & significance level tags are needed to prevent irrelevance

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3





Perceptions of Reproductions

BlindnessOverexposure to the visible causes a perceptual disorder

Vision is clouded by signs

Blinded to the realities of the actual self

De-realizationData pools are references of self-interest, but not self-knowledge

Infinite replications reduce the self to an optical illusion

Disappearance of actuality

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Essence of the Mediated Self

Self in RepresentationsThe world has become a “world picture”

The existence is conceived as a picture to measure and execute

Absence-as-presence: The self buried under its representations

Ontology of the Virtual SelfTechnological information as a reality

Increased progressive embodiment

Actual presence is dominated by data

Simulacrum: Self-data becomes truer than the self

The gap between referrer & referent is;increasing for meaning,decreasing for realities

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3





Cyborg’s Dilemma

Natural EmbodimentNatural integration of man & machine may cause unnatural results

The self disconnects from its inner realms during self-actualization

The search for inner self transforms into the search for scientific truth

“Enframing”“Standing reserve” is a situation where nature transforms into the

resource of technology

“Enframing” is a situation where the nature of man transforms into the

resource of his own technologies, the object of its own science

Mankind is the raw material for existing technologies

The self is becoming downgraded to the source of self-data

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3





In”form”ation “In-formare” (Form within): To give form, shape, or character

Empirical evidence with referential qualities of the factual reality

InformationIndependent entity of signaling with no referential quality

Mathematical processes of sending and receiving message

Data > Information > “Codified Knowledge”

Not linked to “Tacit Knowledge” or the knowledge of life experiences

MetadataData about data. Referential, but lack narrative qualities for meaning

Fragmented selfData fragments, obstructs, destabilizes the unity of self-knowledge





Agency of the Self

Routines of self-controlThe power of agency is becoming a territory for the digital technologies

Cultural products: Presence of built-in mindset and action patterns

Self-tracking is bound to the attachment to certain technologies

Man is “free” to live a controlled life, a life imposed by power relations

The position of authorship is handed to automated sensors

“Auto”biographies and “auto”portraits: Passive condition of the self

TranscodingPersonal experiences are encoded in computer language & meaning

Artifacts behave more lifelike and life is becoming more engineered

Accurate processing of routine activities is computation

Walk = Counting steps, Knowledge = Data, Processing = Understanding

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3

Reconstructing the Mediated Sense of Self

Balancing codified knowledge and tacit knowledge

Balancing the agency of the self and the self-tracking devices

Disturbing the routines for mindfulness

Design practices need to respond to the inevitable advancements in technologies and humanity

Designing meaningful interactions between computerized and the human

Building upon the context of the self & self-understanding

Assessing usage experiences & values brought by such products

3.1 HISTORY

3.2 POSTHUMAN

CHAPTER 3




Conclusion

The design guidelines

regarding the self-tracking

products can reconstruct the

self through blending the

codified knowledge and the

tacit knowledge of one's life by

positioning the biological

mechanisms of self-making

and self-awareness as the

primary starting points


