Data collection plan for the next 10 years
What data would I be collecting for the next 10 years?
Prompt: Mimi Onuoha asks — “How does our attitude towards data change if we see it as the result of a relationship rather than an end in itself?” Imagine you were to start collecting data about yourself over the next ten years (2020–2030) to store in a time capsule. What data would you collect and why?”
In my home back in South Korea, I have a special box that is full of collections of my past life. In the box, there are a bunch of scrapbooks that have all my transcripts, student cards, and birthday cards I got for the last 7–8 years. Also, there is a pile of brochures I collected whenever I travel to museums around the world, dolls I have played with when I was young, and even a receipt for the university application.
Even though I seldom open the box to read through the objects, I cannot throw them away since their meaning has transferred from an ‘object’ to a ‘reservoir of personal memories’, which commemorates my past years.
If I am to collect my data for the next 10 years, the purpose of collecting would stay the same as the reason I collected in my special box; to turn epimeral moments into a concrete form to help me retrospect myself after 10 years.
Particularly, as I am turning into my 30s in 3 years, I am curious to know how my physical and emotional state changes according to upcoming events in life, such as getting a job, marriage, and possibly being a mother.
Data sets I want to collect can be categorized as physical state, emotional state, and relationships which range from daily, monthly to yearly ones. The following are some examples of data to collect.
Physical state: How will my appearance change over 10 years?
- Daily selfies
Aging can be manifested clearly in a face. However, since it is happening over a long period of time, it is hard to notice the change. To indicate the timeline of change in appearance, I would like to take a daily photo of myself. For this data, it would be crucial to set a fixed condition for every photo to easily detect a change.

2. Clothing data
What I wear every day can indicate not only my style but also whom I interact with, where I stay and what is trending. I can make a database of the clothing I have now and track what I buy and what I dispose of overtime. Moreover, I can track my style change by numbering all the clothes I have and record the combination of numbers every day.
Emotional state: How will my emotion state fluctuate over 10 years?
I am sure I will be going through several new life chapters for the next 10 years. I might get married, have children, and go through a volatile journey in my career. Through this eventfulness period, I would like to pay attention to how I feel about each event and how the feeling changes according to time. A possible plan for collecting those data can start with the following questions.
- When does the critical event happen?
- How is my emotion impacted by the event? Is it positive or negative? How influential is it? How long will the impact last?
Relationship: Who will be around me?
The last data I want to collect is regarding my relationship with people. Who will I be close to? Is there anyone that I have a conflict with? If so, how do I deal with the relationship?
