A Decennial Data Capsule

Sanika Sahasrabuddhe
Nov 4 · 2 min read

Data Humanism Medium Post for Graduate Seminar

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?”

The one thing that a timeline shows that a point in time doesn’t is change. Seeing a bundle of information about several versions of myself is both exciting and depressing. The past is traumatic, cherished and nostalgic, but I certainly would not capture only the positive aspects.

What I would collect —

The female body: In a span of 10 years, I will have turned 36. It is interesting to me that a legacy is usually left for one’s children. For someone who is skeptical of the idea of bringing life into this world, the data of a female body outside of its childbearing function is interesting to me. Because shifting moods are associated with reproductive changes, I would like to capture those over time.

Carbon Footprint: The number of electricity consuming devices over time I used, and how much fuel my activities consumed, and what I did to curb them.

Physical Change: I would like to see how my teeth and hair and overall structure change. Because I use my phone so much, I sometimes think the bone structure of my hands has changed. It would be interesting to see that

Events that change in Attitude and Behaviour

Social Capital: The people I met and how they moved across the world and changed contexts

Movies and Books I often say I want to just take a year off to read and watch movies.

Alternate paths: Being an indecisive human, I would like to capture every alternate outcome as a result of things I did not choose. For example, I chose CMU over other schools and so on.

Bucket Lists and Promises to Self: If I promised myself that I would do something, learn a skill, complete a project, when did I start and when did I finish. How much time did it take me? (As a kid I had the habit of starting things and never finishing them)

Sanika Sahasrabuddhe

Written by

Graduate Studies in Design for Interactions @ Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design

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