Dr Aristea Fotopoulou (University of Sussex/ UCSC Science and Justice Research Center 2014 Visiting Scholar) will present
Climbing Godzilla with Fitbit: assessing media coverage and the user interface
Aristea works at the intersections of media & cultural studies with science & technologies studies. She has written about digital networks and feminism, and recently, on information politics, knowledge production, and digital engagement. She currently explores practices of data sharing and algorithmic living (Project Tracking biodata: sharing and ownership, http://trackingbiodataproject.wordpress.com/about/). She also works in the EU-funded project EPINET, a technological assessment of new emerging technologies, such as wearable sensors, with focus on media and digital culture.
In this session, Aristea will present a media analysis of FitBit, a cloud-based tracking device which monitors a range of activities linked to weight loss and fitness activity. Her focus is on FitBit blogs, media coverage, and user interface (device screen, phone app and website). Through this exploration she will locate fitness tracking sensors in digital culture and discuss emerging self-management behaviours.
Sponsored by Art Department Chair Jennifer Parker and UCSC OpenLab
