We welcome submissions to our open track on ‘everyday analytics’ at 4S/EASST, Barcelona, 2016

Track convenors: Kate Weiner, Catherine Will, Minna Ruckenstein, Christopher Till and Flis Henwood,

Everyday analytics: The politics and practices of self-monitoring

Self-monitoring is a pervasive part of contemporary life, entwined in many spheres of the everyday, for example work, health, fitness, energy consumption, finance. The analysis of these activities, once the preserve of scientific, professional and technology experts, is expanding, as the scanning, recording, memorising and tracking of daily life using digital technologies becomes increasingly possible.  Yet self-monitoring involves a variety of technologies and techniques, some digital some considerably more mundane.

Tracking may be voluntaristic, but may be encouraged, promoted or required through corporate and governmental initiatives – and is of interest to numerous commercial sectors. While the term ‘self-monitoring’ invokes the image of an individual tracker, it may involve a variety of collectives, for sharing data and experiences and creating collective knowledge.  Collectives may operate at more local levels too, as people and things mediate in the everyday work of tracking.
We invite papers that explore everyday analytics, self-tracking practices and its different meaning: Who and what is involved? What emotions, projects and relationships are important in these practices?  How is data interpreted? How and when does data flow where and how does it get stuck?  When and how does self-tracking become embedded and normalised in everyday life? What is the scope for resistance, rejection or exclusion? We expect that the papers will contribute to either theoretical or methodological developments relating to self-tracking in practice, investigating how it promotes new forms of individuality, sociality, politics and markets – or moments when it fails to engage people.

 

Abstracts should be submitted at http://www.sts2016bcn.org/

Abstract submissions will open soon and the deadline will be 21 February 2016

 

If you have any questions about the track, please feel free to contact us

 

Kate Weiner – k.weiner@sheffield.ac.uk

Catherine Will – c.will@sussex.ac.uk

Minna Ruckenstein – minna.ruckenstein@helsinki.fi

Chris Till – C.Till@leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Flis Henwood – F.Henwood@brighton.ac.uk