21 Oct 2026

How’s My Health?

posted in: College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHS), Communication and Media Studies Department, University departments & offices |

David Pierson, professor of media studies, presented the scholarly paper, “How’s My Health?: Biometric Watches, McLuhan, Massumi, and the Specter of the Virtual Body” at the Northeast Popular Culture Conference (Online) on October 15, 2026 as part of the panel on the Body, Fashion, and Popular Culture.  Pierson’s study draws on the work of McLuhan and Brian Massumi to examine biometric watch health data (i.e., Apple, Fitbit) that not only provides users with objective health information, but serves as a medium that is actively recasting the body, our senses, and association with technology.