The constitutive work of non-humans at the development of a (self)-tracking technology : a reconstruction from the actor-network-theory

Panel: Frameworks of Agency and Dis/Media. The Significance of Current Digital Technologies and Dis-/Abling Media PracticesThe phenomenon of self-tracking is very popular in the society. Many people in the private and wellbeing sector use self-tracking technologies like apps and wearables. These technologies are worn on the body or even in the body. They measure behavior patterns, emotional states or body performances and translate them into data. This illustrates the close connection between human and technology, which extends into the human body. Self-tracking technologies are the result of many interconnected and heterogeneous actors. Thus, they cannot be fully understood if they are considered as isolated technical artifacts. Such a tracking technology is the actibelt, in which the activity sensor is integrated in the belt that measures the physical activity of the patients over several days. The aim of this work is to reconstruct the actibelt from the actor network theory (ANT), with a focus on the non-humans of the actibelt-actor-network. Drawing on qualitative interviews with users (patients, health professionals) and technology developers, and ethnographic observations, this study analyzes the contribution of non-humans at the translation process of the actibelt-actor-network. I will show how the non-humans fulfil an important function between the users and technology developers by translate the instructions of the technology developers to the users (operating instructions, flyers) and the wishes and experiences of the users to the technology developers (in presentations, publications, reports). In this way, the non-humans (temporarily) stabilize the actor-network