Exploring the Impact of Commercial Wearable Activity Trackers on Body Awareness and Body Representations: A Mixed-Methods Study on Self-tracking

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_187A72B4663D
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Exploring the Impact of Commercial Wearable Activity Trackers on Body Awareness and Body Representations: A Mixed-Methods Study on Self-tracking
Journal
Computers in Human Behavior
Author(s)
Boldi Arianna, Silacci Alessandro, Boldi Marc-Olivier, Cherubini Mauro, Caon Maurizio, Zufferey Noé, Huguenin Kévin, Rapp Amon
ISSN
0747-5632 (print)
1873-7692 (electronic)
Publication state
Published
Issued date
02/2024
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
151
Pages
21
Language
english
Abstract
Wearable trackers are believed to enhance users’ self-knowledge, but their impact on the relationship that people have with their own bodies is relatively unexplored. This study aims to shed light on the potential of physiological data collected by a commercial wearable activity tracker to influence how users relate with their own bodies, specifically their body awareness, body image, body consciousness, and body surveillance. Additionally, the study seeks to determine whether this change in body perception improves or worsens the users’ relation with their own bodies. We recruited 321 first-time wearable users, including a control group. Participants in the experimental group (N = 225) completed a set of scales and questionnaires addressing body awareness and representations before and after wearing a Fitbit for four months, and 20 of them were further interviewed about their experience. The findings indicate that participants’ overall view of their bodies was not influenced by the device. However, the Fitbit did increase the awareness of bodily sensations, particularly for women. Moreover, we describe how participants made sense of the data displayed by the Fitbit, which was also used as an emotion-regulation tool. These results can contribute to the understanding of the impact of self-tracking technologies on the users’ perceptions of their own body and provide insights for future research in this field.
Keywords
self-tracking, wearable technologies, body representations, body awareness, personal informatics, mixed-methods
Open Access
Yes
APC
3140 EUR
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / Projects / 200021_178978
Armasuisse S+T / CYD-C-2020007
Create date
07/11/2023 0:01
Last modification date
19/11/2023 8:11
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