Data Narratives: Uncovering tensions in personal data management

We present an interview study of 34 participants in the US and Korea who described how they manage their personal data, from work files to family photos. Through their 'data narratives' - accounts of their data management practices, including device usage patterns and negotiations with system and brand ecosystems' we explore how individuals negotiate a complex, multi-service, and morally-charged sociotechnical landscape, balancing demands to share and to safeguard their data in appropriate ways against a shifting background of changing technologies, relationships, individuals, and corporations. We describe the guiding framework that people use to make decisions as a 'moral economy' of data management, contributing to our understanding of context-specific system choices.