Not going to lie, ever since I got an Apple watch, I’ve exercised way more. Those three rings are very addicting, and closing those rings became something of a daily mission. At the same time, I often ask myself how on Earth did I maintain an exercise routine before the age of wearables, and what even motivated me to do so?!
Data is so somehow very tempting and motivating to what we do. With the addition of an Apple watch, suddenly I am tracking my activities, heart rate, sleep (creepy…), blood oxygen (actually very helpful when my grandma caught Covid) and even my location. My device then analyzes all this data, and provides me patterns and trends in what I do, making suggestions to improve my health and performance. It even shares some of my exercise data with my friends, so that suddenly I am in some intense competitions with my friends whom I don’t see very often, but has the same wearable devices. I am also told if I am ever in a car accident, that an emergency call would be made on my behalf, and my personal data would be shared emergency services, potentially saving my life (okay but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that).
This is all very good, isn’t it? Something so small yet so powerful, improving my lifestyle and fitness. But what is really being tracked? Are we becoming depending on it? Are we stigmatized by our data? It occurs to me we often don’t know where our data are stored, and how the companies are sharing our data. We don’t understand how it is encrypted, or if only the necessary data are collected. Are health insights provided by these devices biased? Are certain populations underrepresented in the data? The commercialization of health data is concerning, since we don’t know if companies are prioritizing profit, or are they prioritizing our health. Regardless, I think the collecting of all this data from each user raises ethical concerns, though it is a trend I do not see going away. These concerns can only be addressed by companies, policy makers and healthcare providers collaboratively.
What do you think? Do you love your wearables? Do you have concerns over them?
Apple [Online Image]. (2021). https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2021/06/apple-advances-personal-health-by-introducing-secure-sharing-and-new-insights/
I am also addicted to the three rings. It makes me even more motivated to stay active when I compete against my friends. Being able to see my friends data and how active they have been motivates me to move and exercise more. Also, using my smartwatch, I can keep track of different physical activities I have done along with the amount of calories burnt and the exact day and time of the activities. Looking at my data allows me to gauge how much exercise I’ve been getting and determine how much more activity I should engage in.
You raised some excellent points on wearable technology and the tracking that comes with it. I like my smart watch and find it very convenient, but one must ask how much data we give. I recall a few social media apps (I believe it was Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) with a feature added where the user could look at what information was being given to advertisers. Still, there is not one for all of these apps on one’s smartwatch where it potentially has access to a lot of personal (and personal health) information. As mentioned by another commenter, tracking which apps use which data could be handy.
Hi!
I also have become addicted to wearing my smartwatch. When I’ve forgotten it at home, I catch myself looking for it on my wrist. I’m also worried about where my data is stored and who has access to it, and how that data is used! This is an idea for an app that shows us exactly where our data is being stored and who is drawing on that data.