Anyone else have this experience: Sharing the Emotional Labor of Tracking Data About Me

Self-tracking technologies, ranging from digital thermometers to wearable fitness trackers, allow users to use personal data accumulated from their everyday activities. But, to use these data, people have to make sense of how these numbers and figures are relevant to their lives in some way in order to make decisions and gain new insight. This process is impacted by people's emotional reactions to their data. While seeking support from others can be an effective strategy for overcoming these emotional challenges, self-trackers face unique barriers in sharing their personal data. Our study investigates 1) how users seek out support online for emotional barriers elicited by their self-tracking data and 2) what self-described impact this sharing has on their self-tracking practices. To investigate these topics, we analyzed discussions in two online communities on Reddit.com centered around infertility and trying to conceive that consistently describe self-tracking experiences. We found that community members described three distinct driving emotional tensions with their self-tracking data. In seeking community input, users were focused on support for understanding and acting upon their feelings and emotions. Even when data was uncertain, frustrating, or viewed as inaccurate, comparing and learning with others benefited users through feelings of connection, control, and humor this collective sense-making provided. Additionally, we found that users taking breaks from self-tracking in whole or part appeared to support their emotional well-being and long-term motivation to track. Based on these findings, we conclude that self-tracking data has social and emotional value beyond perceived accuracy and individual treatment goals.