Speaker
Description
There has been a rising technological trend in recent years when people engage in body-based practices such as running and brisk walking in outdoor spaces, and workout sessions in fitness centres. Increasingly, the integration of new self-tracking technologies in physical activities has become a global trend. At the same time, the concept of self-care and identity, campaigns on health consciousness and well-being have become profoundly popular. Users of self-tracking technologies can monitor and measure physical health metrics such as steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, sleep patterns, menstrual trends, skin temperature and stress levels. However, critical issues regarding new user experiences in environments where societal expectations set boundaries on the moving bodies remain understudied. This study applies an ethnographic lens to provide insights into the adoption of smartwatches in new cultural spaces where self-tracking technologies are less incorporated into corporeal practices. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews, focused groups discussions, and participant observations with users of fitness centres and athletic tracks in Ghana were conducted to explore people’s experiences and engagements with self-tracking technologies. The study draws on postdigital, postphenomenology and actor-network theory as the main theoretical perspectives in establishing the connection between the adoption of self-tracking technologies and the shaping of a new corporeal identity. The findings of the study suggest that the adoption of self-tracking technology can intrude and disrupt seemingly fundamental cultural fragments in society and produce unintended dangers.
