It is time to bury the “the Quantified Self”. I get the need to establish a buzz category for those who thrive on buzz – venture capitalists, marketeers, and social pop consultants. And I also get the impulse to assign a geeky term to what is seen as a technological revolution – and one as important as that which drives personalized healthcare, the fight against obesity, and the individual drive for self improvement.
BUT: “The Quantified Self” scares people. It is demotivating. It is mechanistic. It sounds like machine learning and big data. It invites fear of privacy invasion. You (figuratively) are scaring people. You are making something complex, seem enormously more complex and out of reach for many to understand. Folks, it is not working. And worse – it is turning off people who need to be turned on. They need the promise of self-improvement. They need to see measurement (not quantification) as a way to take personal responsibility and control of their lives.
Danny Sullivan’s excellent article at CNET this week, How My Body Rejected Activity Trackers and the Quantified Self, is the tip of the ice berg. Health is increasingly becoming an important issue for the 75 million baby boomers and their parents (U.S), the same demographic which will benefit the most from the increased capabilities and information provided by the quantification devices.
I have actually developed something of a passion for the value of sensing devices. I use myself as an example which I have written about here. Over the course of several years, I have been able to improve virtually every health metric – weight (lost over 60 pounds), blood pressure, and stamina. I think more clearly. And hopefully will have more longevity for the sake of family and our 3 year old daughter. I would not have considered myself fat. But I was I guess. What the devices (fit bit, wi-fi scales, blood pressure cuff, heart rate monitor) did for me was to make me aware of my former state – and how to incrementally improve to my current state. It was a journey.
Rather than being overwhelmed by all of the available devices AND the hype surrounding them, I started slowly, incrementally. First I learned that my activity levels were ridiculously low sitting at a computer all day. The FitBit did that for me. Next I learned how to influence my weight through diet and exercise. The wi-fi scale did that in part for me. The heart rate monitor gave me the confidence to evolve my walks to full fledged running workouts by announcing my heart rate zones etc. All good stuff. And honestly, it was simple.
So what we have is a point in time where the audience that can recognize some of the biggest benefits of tracking and sensing devices is at the same time an audience that has the least patience for hype, perceived complexity of message, and change of lifestyle.
So let’s make the message simple and go mainstream. As I would say to our 3 year old – let’s “share” the cool devices in a way that is practical, simple, and usable. Let me give it a spin.
The Aware Self
The purpose of tracking the devices is to give you control over your health. They are simple to use, and less intrusive than for instance, that watch, or jewelry that you have been wearing for years. You can gain most of the benefits with a simple wi-fi scale and tracker – try those first. Just step on the scale in the morning. Just put the fit bit in your pocket. They will do all of the work. You don’t have to do anything.
By using measuring devices – which is simple – you can maintain an active life-style, and keep bugging those pesky X,Y and Z er’s who come up with all of this cool stuff. Your brain will work better. But most importantly, you will be more vital for your family and less dependent on prescription drugs that you have seen so many of your peers and your parents become reliant on. You will be responsible for and in control, of your health and aging.
We need to make change about the person, not about the technology. And we have to appeal to and provide a sense of possibility to a much wider audience which thrives on “simplicity”.
So here is my vote for ditching THE QUANTIFIED SELF. Perhaps we could replace it with “The Aware Self” or another label that sends a more inclusive message to the mainstream. Some marketing guru can surely figure this out. Maybe development of the label could be crowdsourced. Then let’s get on with using all of this wonderful measurement technology to improve our collective health and understanding. Though it never be used by some, it holds promise for many others.
