We are so keen to connect and interact with the virtual world that our private lives have long become public property. Our desire to boost our self-confidence has entered a new dimension with the use of fitness apps: every step is tracked, our pulse rate is compared, our diet is documented. Who is using this technology? What do they get out of it? And why are they comparing notes about their health? Cultural anthropologist Barbara Frischling has been investigating these questions. She has tried these fitness apps herself and has analysed their use, in interviews and by observation, with the aim of discovering their benefits – and where there are potential pitfalls lurking.
Practically every smartphone has, at the very least, a step counter installed, and there are innumerable applications that will track your route, calculate the calories you have burned or generate exercise goals for you. “In principle, these tools can be very positive, because they motivate people to engage in sport and do more for their health,” says Frischling. But the researcher goes on to state that this all depends on their personal life circumstances and needs. However much comparison with the community can be an incentive, there is no doubt in her mind that, under certain circumstances, it can also be dangerous: “It is important to consider what ideals the users are striving towards. If a young person is susceptible to eating disorders, the continual motivation to burn more calories and intensify their training can in fact have a problematical effect.”
The tyranny of numbers
Norms established by others come to be regarded as the be-all and end-all for one's own body. One example is the current recommendation that it is good for your health to do 10,000 steps a day. Many apps give positive feedback when this target is achieved. “But the users don’t ask themselves whether these numbers are actually appropriate for them in their own life situations,” Frischling points out. And her research has identified yet another problem with the intensive use of fitness apps: Many of those who enjoy sport as a hobby don't just track their pulse rate and steps, they record the number of calories eaten, maintain online food diaries and even monitor their sleep. “All this data is stored centrally, where it is available to large corporations.” What happens to it there and whether it is sold on, is difficult to establish, particularly outside Europe, where different data protection policies apply.
Some insurance companies are quite unabashed in their use of the intimate particulars of their clients. They encourage them to use fitness armbands, enticing them with preferential premiums for behaviour which is supposed to prevent illness. Even businesses hand out gadgets to their employees to motivate them to engage in health-promoting activities. “This is intruding quite drastically into people’s private lives, especially when their sleep is monitored as well,” comments Frischling disapprovingly.
As with all smart technologies, we should weigh up whether the convenience they offer is really worthwhile, given the highly personal information which we share in return – free, gratis and for nothing – with commercial enterprises for them potentially to misuse.
There is a detailed report of Barbara Frischling's research in the current issue of current issue of UNIZEIT.