Self-Tracking as a Dietetic Practice

Abstract

Modern social theories often treat digital self-tracking as a form of self-optimisation that is considered paradigmatic for a contemporary society oriented towards rationalisation, continuous achievement of goals, and quantitative growth. This paper aims to complement this perspective by analysing specific digital self-tracking practices as a dietetic form of self-optimisation. Dietetics is a millennia-old therapeutic concept that can be characterized by at least three features: (1) a logic of balance, (2) striving for wholeness, and (3) the centeredness of the individual. Against this background, I analyse practices of sleep and diet tracking as dietetic variants of self-optimisation. Corresponding self-tracking practices aim, for example, at achieving balanced insulin levels or continuous deep sleep. These practices thus are considered optimised when they continuously reproduce an individually targeted functioning routine. In these cases, digital self-tracking as a form of self-optimisation is aimed less at a logic of rationalisation and more at an individual, comprehensive ensemble for maintaining the right balance.