Data as part of our lives
There must be very few people who don’t own or use a device that is in some way taking note of their day-to-day lives. Steps taken, hours slept, calories burned. The list of data that our wearable devices can generate for us is sizeable. It might not be something that we’ve actively asked for or are looking at, but it’s there.
What is our relationship with the data that is available to us? There are many people who are either unaware that such data is even there, or who just chose not to take much notice of it. For others it can be a source of motivation, the tool that they need to keep them focused and help them to achieve and maintain goals. A feeling that the data gives them the knowledge and support to optimise their lives and rewards them for doing so.
The volume of data available is potentially huge and could easily become overwhelming. What might be motivating and supportive to some, could also become onerous and feel like a pressure to perform for others. The data that is both compelling and challenging.
What if data isn’t helpful?
The potential to constantly have data on our daily lives and performance can speak to that part of us that likes to be informed. The relationship with data could also be revealing of other parts of us that may be more about being perfect. What effect does it have on us when we feel that we are being monitored and that we are responding to that? Does the constant stream of data go from being motivating to being a source of anxiety about performance?
The data from wearable devices invariably skews towards individual performance and an emphasis on health-related data. It can feel like we are being monitored and judged by a device that we chose to wear. The pressure to ‘optimise’ every aspect of life can lead to patterns of behaviour, where people could become driven by and focussed on hitting targets. It could be that ultimately people may begin to measure their self-worth against arbitrary data, leading to feelings of inadequacy if they fail to meet their targets.
The shared nature of data brings in the dimension that one might also be performing against others. What does it feel like to have day-to-day activities compared to that of others?
We can ultimately distil the relationship with data down to a sense of performance and the feelings that come with it. Raising the thought that we are either feeling supported and encouraged or becoming unsettled and anxious.
Does the data make us feel good about ourselves or are we questioning if we are good enough? How can we limit what we see and have a sense of ourselves that doesn’t need to be supported by data?
Challenging the data relationship
The more unsettling aspect of wearable tech is that it can resonate with a part of us that strives for perfection, but also that we might need something external to inform us of how we feel about ourselves. One’s self-worth has become tied up with data and comparison which are externally derived.
How can we challenge this relationship? It would be simplistic to say that if we remove or disable the device then we are free of the data. Coming off data might be a challenge and can give rise to feelings of loss. What is it like to think of ourselves without data? Are we able to rely on our own instincts and feelings to have a sense of how we are preforming?
When our expectations of how we perform are based on what our devices show us, there is a need to create more realistic expectations. Psychotherapy offers a valuable space for individuals to explore the feelings that wearable tech and performance may have on their sense of who they are. Restoring a sense of agency in the individual’s choices and finding how to have expectations of performance that are not heavily based on data. This allows the development of a more balanced relationship with technology.
Wearable tech has undeniably transformed the way we approach our health and performance. However, when the data becomes a focus of our well-being, it can shift the relationship with both technology and the individual’s sense of self.
To enquire about psychotherapy sessions with David , please contact him here, or to view our full clinical team, please click here.
David Work is a BACP registered psychotherapist working with adults, offering long term individual psychotherapy. He works with individuals in Hove .
Further reading by David Work –
