(Dis)connected parenting: other-tracking in the more-than-human sensorium

Abstract

ABSTRACT The range of available tracking technologies that target parents and children has increased dramatically over the last decade, providing functionalities such as location and activity tracking. Situated in emerging conversations on the more-than-human sensorium, this paper investigates tracking practices among Australian parents of children aged between two and eight. In only rare cases had parents adopted tracking apps and sensor-enabled devices. Parents experienced digital sensors as misleading and an interruption to the desired parent-child relationship. Parents instead leaned on their own observations and other sensory cues about their child’s health and wellbeing. These findings emphasize how sensed and sensored ways of knowing can be out of sync rather than mutually instructive where the technology is used to track another body. It also highlights the relevance of sensing in parent-child interaction orders.