Value, Presence, & The Quantified Self

As someone born in the mid-90s, I grew up as many forms of consumer technology started to reach the Midwestern middle class. One outcome of this for me was that my psychology was shaped in part by my interactions with computers.

One aspect of this I have been reflecting on recently is the development of self-concept in relation to the quantified self. Self-concept is a term in psychology relating to the set of beliefs one has about oneself, and the quantified self refers broadly to the practice of using technology to track various personal metrics.

Growing up, I resonated strongly with the use of technology to gather information about my activities and relished seeing a chart tracking my (perceived) inexorable self-improvement.

Recently, however, as I have become more of a practitioner of digital minimalism, my activity tracking has been significantly reduced. As my self-concept has become less informed by charts I have noticed some changes and have been reflecting on the shift in my psychology and the broader cultural conditions and causes. The following are some things I have noted:

The quantified self technique is compelling because it reflects our shared ideals of value in Western capitalist society. If "time is money" and money is the thing that has ultimate or real value, then the only meaningful use of time is to improve oneself and increase one's marketability. I now think that this is a vastly inadequate perspective on life, but it was implicit in how I was socialized.

One of the properties of money is that it is quantifiable. It can be expressed numerically in charts and measured precisely over time. An individual's subjective experience does not share this property. We cannot quantify what it is like to experience a sunset or to fall in love. It seems to naturally follow from the value judgments in our society that to engage meaningfully with our lives, we should track and quantify it as much as possible. Tracking every step throughout the day seems to make our experience more "real" and perhaps more valuable.

For me, the approach of quantifying everything in life has impoverished my subjective experience. It changes what it means to live in the present moment since each moment is seen as just a step towards some perceived better future state. Instead of enjoying a walk, run, or bike ride for what it is, there is always a slight preoccupation with setting a personal record or going farther or faster than last time.

There is nothing wrong with tracking activity data, and it can help provide more objective insights into performance in a particular area. However, constant activity tracking can shift the focus away from being present and appreciating subjective experience for what it is.

I have found that removing tracking technology from my personal life has enabled me to appreciate my unique experience more. This is not a prescription for everyone but is perhaps worth trying out if you resonate with some of the ideas presented here. See you IRL.