“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”
Lao Tzu

In the past, technology has often been viewed by the mainstream as something that only specialists, keen enthusiasts or ‘geeks’ were interested in. Film and popular culture reinforced the notions that those who have an interest in computers, screens and digital technology in general are a specialist breed, removed from the mainstream. Techy types have been portrayed as living in a digital world, whereas the mainstream population were seen to live in the analogue, ‘real’ world.

This trope may have been true 20, even 10 years ago. However, as technology progresses and becomes more personal, this divide is ending and our lives are increasingly becoming more digital across the board. One reason for this is the advent of the smartphone and its incorporation into mainstream life. Widespread smartphone adoption has meant that everyone has a computer in their pocket, is always connected and is, essentially, living a digital lifestyle.

The quantified self
Due to the widespread adoption of smartphones, apps and sensor-enabled devices have joined the mainstream, bringing the pursuit of well-being to everyone. This shift to the mainstream has become very apparent, especially with the number of mainstream brands tapping into the concept of the quantified self, offering consumers digital products and services that leverage personal health and wellness data to improve lives.

Apps now enable people to use their mobile phones to track their own movements, behaviours and habits. People have learned that in addition to using their smartphones to connect with others digitally, they can use them to improve their lives; for example, with apps that help them stay organised, accomplish tasks, and even monitor or improve their health. Want to count how many calories you’re eating per day? There’s an app for that. How about tracking how many steps you’re taking every day or how much sleep you’re getting – yes, there are apps for that too.

These apps, many of which started as novelties, have served as the precursor to the “quantified self” movement, where every movement can be distilled into data that provides a full picture of who we are, builds a health profile for us, and helps us to track, monitor and improve our health habits. In this new era of the quantified self, the relationship we have with our own health and the ways in which we monitor our health will never be the same. One massive shift that the quantified self solutions help to enable is the move from reactive to proactive health and fitness.

Among the estimated 20,000 new products that launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January, a number of brands including LG, Withings, Jawbone, BodyMedia, Fitbit, Nike and Basis unveiled either entirely new or updated wearable fitness gadgets. This signals a tipping point in self-tracking technologies, and paves the way for the quantified self to hit the mainstream this year.

These devices are rapidly gaining popularity with the mainstream, not only due to their ‘wow factor’ but also due to their ability to seamlessly integrate into people’s daily lives and offer real benefits. For example, the Nike+ FuelBand, while not universally popular, has been adopted by expert and budding runners alike – it’s an easy and attractive addition to any running kit, helping people achieve their personal best in a handy, accurate, digital, yet nonintrusive fashion that can fit right into regular life.

And just as these gadgets are hitting the mainstream, today’s ‘digital generations’ of consumers are using web apps as a rich source for diagnostics, for researching treatment options, and most importantly, for connecting with other like-minded people to exchange experiences and information.

What started as people using search engines and medical websites such as WebMD.com to gather medical information and insight into their own health, has evolved into a budding market for wearable devices and diagnostic apps that can actually work intimately with personalised health data and sensory input to proactively provide insight and even diagnosis, redefining the notion of access to healthcare as we know it.

As health and wellness technology continues to evolve at a lightning fast pace, the landscape of the future is a fascinating one. Imagine a microchip in your tooth which monitors your food intake and alerts you if you are overeating or eating unhealthily. Could this be one possible solution to preventing disease? Perhaps the ultimate healthcare app will monitor our body data, enabling the app to create a customised virus cocktail of medicine directly for each of us.

We are at the beginning of this massive digital health revolution; the future is exciting and filled with possibilities. Technology has transcended from an intangible abstract to offer very personal benefits, intertwined with our daily lives in a way that can truly help us live our lives in the best way. 

Olof Schybergson is founder and CEO of Fjord