What are the negative impacts of the quantification of the users' bodies during their physical activity through the use of fitness trackers?

Abstract

With the emergence of new technologies in our society, many fields have been impacted, such as healthcare. Preventive health technologies have had an impact on the way users of these new devices look after their health. It is therefore important to take a closer look at the potential negative effects of these new technologies, and in particular the effects of fitness trackers on physical activity. To achieve this, 18 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted among participants aged between 20 and 40 years, in order to explore insights from Fitness Trackers users and the impact this use has on their physical activity. Although the use of fitness trackers brings many benefits to the user, there are also many unwanted negative aspects. First of all, tracking can lead to a number of negative emotions during physical activity. Many users have mentioned feelings of frustration, anger and disappointment when observing negative data. Secondly, tracking activity has changed the way users think about their activity, and the motivation associated with it. The data and the objectives set with it took on an increasingly important role in users' minds. Some users also mentioned that they trusted the data more than their bodies, even going so far as to pursue an activity that was detrimental to their health in order to meet the desired data and objectives. Finally, a certain dependence can be created on the data, rendering the user incapable of continuing his activity without it. All these negative aspects experienced by users are obviously impacted by variables such as personality, context and motivation. Finally, managerial and theoretical implications have been proposed, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research.