What are 'biohackers' hacking? Identifying motivations and meaning-making frameworks

Abstract

Biohacking, a do-it-yourself approach to optimising functionality of body and mind, encompasses a diverse range of practices, and might be understood as a particularly contemporary expression of a larger commitment to the malleability and individuality of the self. Biohackers remix scientific knowledge and technological innovations into bespoke individual solutions that differ markedly according to the sociopolitical context in which they are located. Through a science and technology studies approach that attends to these contextual configurations of technology in relation to human bodies, a conceptual analysis of the underlying motivations, alignment with broader hacker ethos and meaning-making contexts of contemporary biohacking approaches recommends a working model that breaks biohacking down into four strands for further research: DIYbio, spiritual augmentation, health and wellness optimisation and technological futurism.