This week on Binchtopia, Eliza returns from her off-grid era to dive into the history and evolution of body technology, from ancient tracking rituals to Silicon Valley’s quantified self movement. The girlies break down Fitbits, Oura Rings, Prenuvo scans, and sleep apps to examine how our obsession with optimizing the body blurs the line between health, surveillance, and control. Digressions include Taylor Swift’s public clowning, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B beefing with each other’s kids, and the biological necessity of annihilation anxiety.
This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Kylie Finnigan and edited by Livi Burdette.
SOURCES
A Panopticon on My Wrist: The Biopower of Big Data Visualization for Wearables
Beyond Human: Lifelogging and Life Extension
Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
Full-body MRIs: Peace of mind for some, "bane of my existence" for others
Health Wearables, Gamification, and Healthful Activity
I covered my body in health trackers for 6 months. It ruined my life.
Know Thyself: Tracking Every Facet of Life, from Sleep to Mood to Pain, 24/7/365
Memex: A Romantic Theoretical Tool for Thought
Orthosomnia: Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far?
Prevalence of Orthosomnia in a General Population Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study
Ring of power: Oura will soon be worth $11b
Self-Tracking by Gina Neff & Dawn Nafus
The Quantified Self by Deborah Lupton The Rise of Wearable Devices during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
Wearable Devices Can Increase Health Anxiety. Could They Adversely Affect Health?
Wearable Devices to Improve Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviour: An Umbrella Review
White Noise by Don Delillo