How Algorithmic Technologies 'Constitute' the Older Body: A Study of Fall-Detection Wearables

Area of Science:

• Sociology of technology
• Gerontology
• Digital health

Background:

• Ageing bodies are increasingly framed as 'problematic', driving demand for technological solutions.
• Unintentional falls are a significant concern for older adults, leading to the development of interventions like wearable fall-detection technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how wearable fall-detection technology constitutes the ageing body.
• To examine the contribution of algorithmic interventions to the cultural politics of ageing.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of datasets containing movement and fall measurements used to train fall-detection algorithms.
• Sociological examination of how individuals are represented within these datasets.

Main Results:

• Individuals in datasets are fragmented into movements detached from their bodies and locations.
• The ageing body is algorithmically constituted as a collection of risky, deviant movements.

Conclusions:

• Current fall-detection technology constructs a decontextualized and potentially stigmatizing representation of older adults.
• Algorithmic approaches may oversimplify the complex reality of ageing and falling.