Over the last several years, new developments in personal health tracking products have multiplied exponentially. Fitbits and other wrist-worn devices have become practically commonplace, and now there are even water bottles that tell you when you should drink and forks that tell you how often you should take a bite. As ridiculous as that might sound, human interest in measuring and tracking elements of our bodily needs stretches back hundreds of years.
In this interview, MIT Professor Natasha Dow Schüll talks about the new production and consumption of health data, and also steps back to examine the history of tracking. She also discuss her own research within the quantified self community for a book project called "Keeping Track," due out next year.