The Quantified Self

Abstract

This case study explores the entanglement of datafication, self-tracking technologies, and public health through three vignettes across South Korea and the U.S. Song-Lee Lee lives in a prototype “smart city” in Busan where data from every aspect of her life—sleep, consumption, waste—is collected in exchange for rent-free housing. In San Francisco, Sam Delaney exemplifies the Quantified Self movement, using biometric devices to optimize his life for efficiency and health. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., Samantha DeLuca suffers from orthosomnia, a sleep disorder triggered by overreliance on her Fitbit, while her daughter Hannah struggles with body image and eating disorders worsened by social media metrics and AI-driven image filters. Together, these vignettes illustrate how networked technologies shape self-perception, health behaviors, and emotional well-being. The case raises critical questions about data ethics, the illusion of control, metric addiction, and how algorithmic design directs users’ choices. It asks whether our increasing reliance on quantification and biometric feedback enhances or undermines autonomy, and how the design of smart environments and platforms mediates our experience of the world.