My Reluctant Quantified Self
I’m becoming the self-quantifier I never wanted to be.
The Unquantified Expert
When I first became aware of “The Quantified Self” back in 2011 or so, it was a fringe interest. It seemed to consist of a loosely associated network of Meetup groups interested in tracking biometrics, achievements, and minutiae of daily activity in order to become fitter and healthier. Many came to self-quantification through some kind of chronic condition — diabetes, depression, etc. — that they wanted to manage better.
I became involved in this subculture because of my work. In 2012, I was working for a startup that created a location-aware app. Originally conceived as a sort of personal assistant that would serve up relevant content based on time and place context, we realized early on that one of our key audiences was this group of people who wanted an easy way to keep track of their own activity.
We integrated as many APIs as we could get our hands on — FitBit and Foursquare and Instagram, etc. We designed a feed that literally showed you your own life, rather than the lives of your friends. We called the app Saga.
I went to my first Quantified Self meetup in late 2012, and my first Quantified Self international conference in Amsterdam in Spring, 2013.
