Quantified Existentialism

It all started with this tweet from @Fitbit.

It got me thinking.

I know this is a common thought process when it comes to the tools that count our lives because I’ve had these same thoughts:

If my device isn’t counting then does it really count?

If there isn’t a trail of data, does it really matter?

Even my wife, a loyal Fitbit user like myself, gets caught in this techno-philosphical trap:

So I decided to go on a hunt to see how widespread this phenomenon is. Below is a representation, not an exhaustive list mind you, but a peak into the minds of people grappling with the nature of numbers counted for them, of them, but by others.

Please do not mistake intent here. I am not poking fun at these people or the way they think. I am one of them. I have an intimate relationship with the machines that count up my life. I also wonder about the life that is lived, but not captured. I sometimes stress over gaps in my data streams. I too ponder the nature of numbers and the meaning in what some feel is meaningless.

If you think about these things too I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch.