Exploring online fitness culture and young females

Abstract

While previous studies have investigated online health communities and health seeking behaviours, less attention has been directed at the growing impact of the online fitness movement. This paper draws on the concept of biopedagogies to examine the messages transmitted within fitness culture on social networking sites (SNSs), and their role as a channel for health and fitness information. To explore this, a multi-method approach was conducted. The two methods included a netnography (online ethnography) and 22 semi-structured individual interviews with female participants aged 18 to 24 in Australia. The study suggests that online fitness use is becoming a popular leisure activity and source of health and fitness information. It reveals how SNSs are used as a platform to gather and teach ideas of health and fitness, and the manner in which textual and photographic online communication facilitates the social construction and transmission of this knowledge. Results indicated that although fitness accounts on SNSs offer differing notions to present alternative and competing realities, users predominantly chose to follow the normalised and dominant health discourses. Noteworthy, the onus is firmly placed on the individual within these health and fitness messages to adhere to norms of correct health practices and choices. This has connotations relevant to eHealth literacy.

On the body of the consumer: performance‐seeking with wearables and health and fitness apps

“…Such self‐monitoring recalls Shilling's ‘body project’ in which physical capital requires consumptive practices in the ‘investment of spare time and economic capital.’ (1991: 654). Jong and Drummond (: 760) borrow Wright's () term ‘biopedagogies’ to define the disciplinary strategies that characterise consumerism within online fitness culture. Such promotional tactics put health directly into the consumer's hands, much as Hardey's () ‘doctor in the house’ first identified the internet as a source of lay health knowledge.…”

Glocalised fitness: the franchising of a physical movement, fitness professionalism and gender

“…Successful companies, organisations, and brands have a powerful impact on what everyday fitness practices look like in different countries and contexts (Felstead et al, 2007;Lloyd & Payne 2017;Luciano, 2001;Markula, 2001;Spielvogel, 2003). Jong and Drummond (2016) have studied the messages transmitted within fitness culture on different social networking sites, such as general health communities, bodybuilding communities and different 'healthy living blogs'. They suggest that online fitness is becoming an increasingly popular leisure activity through which individuals, within the global sphere of online fitness culture, gather information that contributes to forming their ideas and understanding of health, fitness, bodies and more.…”

The complex cohort: a netnographic review of generation Y backpackers

“…As with Hunter (2015), analysis involved interlinked stages of collecting data, content analysis and interpretive analysis. All written posts were transcribed verbatim into Microsoft word by the author where they could then be thematically coded at the analysis stage (as per Nimrod et al, 2012;Jong & Drummond, 2016). Visual data was screen-shot and collated with themes amongst and reflections upon these made in author field notes.…”

“…The approach has recently been extended to leisure studies (i.e. Jong & Drummond, 2016;Li & Wood, 2016), however remains underutilised and somewhat outside the mainstream (Mkono & Markwell, 2014). There is also growing critique of misuses of the method (Kozinets, 2015;.…”