Beyond the Quantified Self

This article investigates the metaphor of the Quantified Self (QS) as it is presented in the journal Wired (2008-2012). Four interrelated themes – transparency, optimization, feedback loop, and biohacking – are identified as underpinning the definition of a new digital self and the diffusion of a dataist paradigm. By suggesting that the QS positions self-tracking devices and applications as interfaces motivating individuals’ engagement in the use of new technologies, thereby pushing us to rethink life in a data-driven way, Wired highlights certain interests and desires related to the QS metaphor, while disregarding or downplaying others. This thematic analysis of the QS serves as a schematic aid for raising critical questions on self-quantification, and in particular for detecting the merging of epistemological claims, technological devices, and commercial operations. From this perspective, another definition of the QS emerges: a knowledge system that remains flexible in its aims and can be used as a resource for epistemological inquiry and the development of alternative paradigms.