Category: data log

Digital Footprints of a Monday

  • Alarm goes off: Sleep cycle
  • Emails: emails sent/received
  • Whatsapp: messages sent/received
  • iMessage: messages sent/received
  • Spotify: “Made for you” – tracks my music likes/dislikes
  • Calendar: day’s activities/whereabouts, “new events”
  • Social Media: Facebook, Instagram
  • Google maps: GPS location at any point in time (!!)
  • BlueBikes: bike dock location, time & distance travelled
  • Charlie card: commute
  • Venmo: $$ transfers, social circle
  • Podcasts: podcast preferences
  • Credit card: purchases and location of purchase
  • Media Lab pantry: no. of times I enter the pantry in a day
  • Health app: constantly tracking my physical movement/distance travelled
  • Treadmill at the gym: distance ran, calories burned, time spent
  • Background phone/computer apps: screen time, browsing history

My Digital Log for Sunday 

Quantitative:
The time I slept at night (if I use my Fitbit while sleeping)
The time I woke up (using alarm from my phone)
Today’s weather info
The time I used to check my calendar
The time I used to find the location to meet with my friend Sarah using Google map
The time and location I required uber to a restaurant and took the T back
By the end of the day, I also collected
  • The total km I walked and calories I burned (using Fitbit)
  • The time I used my iPhone/iPad screen (productivity/entertainment etc)
  • The total amount of calories I gained through food
  • The total amount of dollars I used
Qualitative:
The conversations I have had with friends
The assignment I was working on
The photo image I took for an event
The video I recorded for an event
Social Media:
The time I liked/posted something on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter
The playlist listened to Spotify

My Sunday in Data

The following is the list of digital data that I created on Sunday, February 17:

  • Sent messages via Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Slack, and SMS: data on the messages I compose and the people I talk to
  • Registered for an event on Eventbrite (and responded “going” to the same event on Facebook): data on my whereabouts for that date/time and the type of events that appeal to me
  • Added an event to my Google Calendar: usage data (when I make changes to my calendar, what kind of events I create, where my event will be, etc.)
  • Liked a post on Facebook: data on people I interact with and posts that get my attention
  • Listened to an album on Spotify: data on what kind of music and artists I like, what time I listen to music, for how long I listen to music, etc.
  • Made 2 phone calls to 2 different movie theaters: phone data
  • Edited a Google Doc: data on when I made changes and what changes I made
  • Tracked a UPS package: data on what time and how frequently I am checking my package’s status
  • Wore my Fitbit: activity data (where I have been, how many steps I have taken, how much activity I have done, how much I slept, what time I woke up, how much I sat still, etc.)
  • Ordered a drink at Starbucks using the Starbucks app: data on my app usage, the drink I ordered, the time I ordered it, etc.
  • Logged into Google Starbucks wifi: data on the info they collect from me (name and email), when/where I am logging in, and what I am doing while using their wifi
  • Browsed the web: every website I visit, the time I visit it, how much time I spend there, etc.
  • Used my Pixel, iPad, and Macbook: screentime data for each device
  • Downloaded files from Dropbox: Dropbox usage data, as well as download history on my computer
  • Edited files on Dropbox: more usage data
  • Used Google Maps to map a route: data on my intended origin/destination, and my actual route to get there
  • Rode the T: data on my origin stations and the time that I tapped my Charlie Card
  • Bought movie tickets: customer data for the movie theater, and financial data for my bank account/credit card
  • Downloaded the Zipcar app and logged into it: download/usage data
  • Visited Mathworks site for help with Matlab documentation: the types of uses I am interested in using Matlab for, how long I spend looking at each page, etc.
  • Coded on Matlab: Matlab usage data, computer usage data, Dropbox data since the files were backed up to Dropbox

Bonus non-digital data creation: I signed off as a witness that my housemate cleaned the bathroom.

A Monday data log

During this Monday, I stayed home and completed an online certification, hence it was not a regular day where I would normally interact more with my surroundings. Below a data log of my Monday:

  • Waking up alarm
  • Emails received/sent
  • Records of played videos/music on youtube
  • Personal messages sent/received (whatsapp, facebook messenger, telegram)
  • App engagement (Facebook, Twitter)
  • Notes on Google Keep
  • Records of sports
  • Records walking distances
  • Bank records (Mobile)
  • Registration to events (Eventbrite)
  • Internet browsing
  • Calendar activities
  • Weather reports
  • Music requests to Alexa
  • Course tasks (submitted tasks, completion of online modules, etc)
  • Duo authentication records
  • Camera records
  • Postal service records of usage
  • Records of News read/browsed through
  • Blogging record

My Digital Data Log on a Regular Sunday

I created the following types of data on Sunday, 2/24:

  • What time I woke up (when I turned off my alarm and started actively using my phone)
  • The distance and time I ran on the treadmill (assuming the treadmill has some sort of data log)
  • When I entered a T station
  • When and where I bought coffee and lunch, what items I purchased and how much they cost
  • When I called an Uber/Lyft and my location during this time period
  • When I tapped into my dorm and other dorms on campus
  • When I bought groceries, where I bought them, and which items I purchased
  • How much I walk over the course of the day
  • What food I ate (I have a food diary app to track what I eat throughout the day)
  • Which songs I listened to on Spotify, when, and on which device
  • Who I sent text messages or facebook messages to (or received from) and the content of those messages
  • What times I called people and how long the calls were
  • Which shows I watched on Netflix and for how long
  • When I listened to podcasts online
  • What I Google searched
  • What Google Docs/Sheets I wrote in, who it was shared with, and when they were edited