IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v9y2022i1d10.1057_s41599-022-01199-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Shared motivations, goals and values in the practice of personal science: a community perspective on self-tracking for empirical knowledge

Author

Listed:
  • Enric Senabre Hidalgo

    (Université Paris Cité)

  • Mad P. Ball

    (Université Paris Cité
    Open Humans Foundation)

  • Morgane Opoix

    (Université Paris Cité)

  • Bastian Greshake Tzovaras

    (Université Paris Cité
    Open Humans Foundation)

Abstract

Some individuals do not limit their self-tracking efforts to passively collecting and observing gathered data about themselves, but rather develop it into forms of self-research and self-experimentation, also called “personal science”. This type of N-of-1 research is relevant to the fields of personal informatics, patient-led research and social studies of science, but as a knowledge generation practice is still poorly understood. To fill this gap, we conducted 22 semi-structured interviews to investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of individuals engaging in personal science activities, as well as shared goals and values present in self-research communities. Our analysis is based on a conceptual framework that integrates previous approaches in self-research, as well as in connection with citizen science, the scientific ethos and cooperation in peer production. We identify how self-researchers seek to go beyond personal metrics about their health and wellbeing regarding data provided by wearables, are engaged over time by individual involvement in technology and scientific-related activity, and collaborate following similar goals and values when learning and sharing empirical knowledge with peers. In this sense, personal science can be understood as a specific type of citizen science and an example of a more participatory and inclusive scientific culture driven by self-reflection, critical thinking and openness.

Suggested Citation

  • Enric Senabre Hidalgo & Mad P. Ball & Morgane Opoix & Bastian Greshake Tzovaras, 2022. "Shared motivations, goals and values in the practice of personal science: a community perspective on self-tracking for empirical knowledge," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01199-0
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01199-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-022-01199-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-022-01199-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Minna Ruckenstein, 2014. "Visualized and Interacted Life: Personal Analytics and Engagements with Data Doubles," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Nafus, Dawn, 2019. "Data Aggregation as Social Relations: Making Datasets from Self-Tracking Data," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(3), pages 440-454, July.
    3. Hong Jin & Ying Peng & Jian Chen & Seong Taek Park, 2022. "Research on the Connotation and Dimension of Consumers’ Quantified-Self Consciousness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Kempner, Joanna & Bailey, John, 2019. "Collective self-experimentation in patient-led research: How online health communities foster innovation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lane Peterson Fronczek & Martin Mende & Maura L. Scott, 2022. "From self‐quantification to self‐objectification? Framework and research agenda on consequences for well‐being," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 1356-1374, September.
    2. Adonteng-Kissi, Obed, 2018. "Causes of child labour: Perceptions of rural and urban parents in Ghana," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 55-65.
    3. Alessia Bertolazzi & Katarzyna Marzęda-Młynarska & Justyna Kięczkowska & Maria Letizia Zanier, 2024. "Datafication of Care: Security and Privacy Issues with Health Technology for People with Diabetes," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-25, August.
    4. Nikayin, Fatemeh & Heikkilä, Marikka & de Reuver, Mark & Solaimani, Sam, 2014. "Workplace primary prevention programmes enabled by information and communication technology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 326-332.
    5. Baki Cakici & Pedro Sanches, 2014. "Detecting the Visible: The Discursive Construction of Health Threats in a Syndromic Surveillance System Design," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-15, July.
    6. Evgeniya G. Nim, 2019. "Digital Self-Tracking Among Russian Students: Practices And Discourses," HSE Working papers WP BRP 91/SOC/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    7. Rich, Emma & Lupton, Deborah, 2022. "Rethinking digital biopedagogies: How sociomaterial relations shape English secondary students' digital health practices," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    8. Deborah Lupton, 2014. "Apps as Artefacts: Towards a Critical Perspective on Mobile Health and Medical Apps," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Chris Till, 2014. "Exercise as Labour: Quantified Self and the Transformation of Exercise into Labour," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-17, August.
    10. Campbell, Patricia A., 2021. "Lay participation with medical expertise in online self-care practices: Social knowledge (co)production in the Running Mania injury forum," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    11. Margaret Machniak Sommervold & Maja Van der Velden, 2017. "Visions of Illness, Disease, and Sickness in Mobile Health Applications," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-18, October.
    12. Petrakaki, Dimitra & Hilberg, Eva & Waring, Justin, 2018. "Between empowerment and self-discipline: Governing patients' conduct through technological self-care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 146-153.
    13. Michael Mutz & Johannes Müller & Anne K. Reimers, 2021. "Use of Digital Media for Home-Based Sports Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the German SPOVID Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
    14. Adonteng-Kissi, Obed & Adonteng-Kissi, Barbara & Kamal Jibril, Mohammed & Osei, Samuel Kwesi, 2019. "Communal Conflict Versus Education: Experiences of Stakeholders in Ghana’s Bawku Conflict," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 68-79.
    15. Emma Rich & Andy Miah, 2014. "Understanding Digital Health as Public Pedagogy: A Critical Framework," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-20, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01199-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.