Brands are increasingly depending on data, metrics and analytics to drive branding decisions. To that end, they want to know all that they can about their customers – their habits and behaviors, likes and dislikes, attitudes and associations. They are obsessed with digging for data to better understand motivations, perceptions and preference and now through the Web – they can. Industries are being upturned as sophisticated tracking tools enable marketers and businesses to scrutinize every search query, purchase pattern and behavioral decision – it truly is the rise of the algorithm culture.

But this obsession over details and micro-metrics is not confined to businesses. With the rise of social media, individuals have become addicted to publishing, tracking and sharing up-to-the minute details of their daily lives, no matter how mundane. Suddenly anything is worth documenting, journaling and publicizing, just because you can. A wide range of specialist websites are tapping into this phenomenon, enabling you to track, measure and share whatever daily activities are most relevant to you – from the most intimate to the most mundane. Many combine personal information with databases, GPS tracking and mobile devices to keep your personal details continuously current. Those passionate about personal fitness have been early adopters, triggered by Nike and Apple’s introduction of Nike+. But now Dailyburn, Fitday, Gimme20 or My Fitness Journal all provide tools, analytics and perhaps more importantly, a supportive community to share it with. The more adventurous can track their sexual habits at Bedposted or Boffery. Women can monitor their menstrual cycle at Monthlyinfo.com or analyze their sleep at MyZeo. You can aggregate it all at sites like Dayturn or Profilactic, analyze it with Twitgraph or download the iPhone app to scientifically Trackyourhappiness.org. And businesses have taken note. Intuit’s acquisition of Mint.com (personal finance) and Facebook’s purchase of Friendfeed are just recent examples. Life-tracking is about to become big business.

A flurry of new brands is becoming ingrained in people’s lives. The personal nature, frequency and instant gratification of the dialogue between these brands and their consumers is bonding them overnight in deep relationships that would traditionally require significant time and cash. Serious monetizing of these voluntarily initiated relationships is grossly inevitable.

Over the coming year we will see more and more of these highly individualized services become part of our daily lives and the ever-evolving brandscape as we expose ourselves to greater introspection. Soon we will explore everything about every aspect of our lives, right down to our DNA – you can track that at 23andMe.