In an extensive interview in Saturday’s edition of newspaper Dnevnik, the researcher explained how rapidly developing new technologies are bringing progress to society, but also triggering unintended social consequences and relationships that continually need to be questioned and examined. In the interview, the current reflection on mHealth or "mobile health" (increasingly widespread use of mobile devices and mobile applications in the field of health and healthy life style), is given. In particular, app for tracking and measuring the number of steps taken, heart rate per minute, kilometers run, (non)sleeping hours, calories taken and similar are growing in use and popularity. There is a growing trend of self-tracking and self-quantification practices, meaning measuring, gathering, analyzing and understanding ourselves through data obtained from various wearable devices. The researcher explains how many traps are hidden behind supposedly useful and “healthy” ideas (such as doing free/unpaid labor for corporations, poor quality of the data, the culture of narcissism, the passing of blame on an individual, commercial interests, intensified medicalization, and similar; more on https://www.dnevnik.si/1042750360/zdravje/arhiv/jana-simenc-za-vsako-zdravstveno-tezavo-raste-aplikacija-).
F.35 Other
COBISS.SI-ID: 40228141The aim of the lecture was to make a contribution to a better understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics that is enacted by the entrance of innovations and digital practices into healthcare. The selected results ethnographic research on non/establishing of digital health culture in Slovenia were presented, in particular the perspective of the medical professionals on occurring changes. Šimenc stressed that anthropological approach allows particular insight into the less visible, less cliché, intimate and relational dimensions of our time. Few prevailing concepts in the industry, such as optimization, datafication and innovation, will be raised into question. The lecture was of great value for bringing closer the industry, start-up community and anthropological research findings.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 42528813Algorithms are not objective neither neutral mechanisms (see Ziewitz 2016; Boellstorff, Maurer 2015). Chun (2011) elaborates on the logic of programmed future in the context on new media. Similar, contemporary medicine and diverse self-tracking practices are more and more »governed« by the algorithms, that set priorities, norms, and impose a pre-chosen logic of thinking and acting. Algorithms create predefined versions of social realities. The main aim of the presentation was to give an argumentation, how can we think about the future of health, medicine, healthcare in this historical moment of ubiquitous social ideology of technological progress and technological fix, where software gained the power in medical and health contexts as well. Empirical data (from ethnographic research) reviling the voices of medical doctors, users and IT developers were presented.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 42586413At the international conference within the research network Navigating Knowledge Landscapes, the researcher presented her key theoretical and methodological starting points for analyzing social dynamics behind the enactment of digital health in Slovenia. After, she presented the preliminary results of the research on the synchronization of eHealth in medical practice. She emphasized the emergence of algorithmic normativity, dissatisfaction between the medical profession over eSolutions and the weakening of medical authority.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 41828141In cooperation with prof. Uršula Lipovec Čebron Jana Šimenc edited a special issue titled Meanders of medical anthropology. In the editorial, they concisely explained the reasons for editing and preparing the special issue. These were mainly connecting diffused and self-directed researchers (medical anthropology in Slovenia remains on the margins, without solid research continuity and institutional support); establishing Slovenian terminology in the field and the reflection on methodological issues; providing a better visibility of medical anthropological research results, which, through a holistic and comparative approach offer innovative explanation to a number of topical issues of a contemporary human, who is increasingly obsessed with health and well-being. At the same time, by editing thematic issue, the editors maintained the continuity of inter-institutional cooperation and the further methodological and theoretical development of medical anthropology in Slovenia.
C.03 Guest-associated editor
COBISS.SI-ID: 6725378