'Take Everything With a Pinch of Salt': Learning to Navigate Fitness on Social Media
Open Access
- 2 May 2025
- journal article
- Published by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
- Vol. 9 (2) , 1-30
Abstract
Emerging evidence from other disciplines indicates that women's engagement with fitness content and communities on social media can have both positive and negative impacts, with particular concerns arising around misinformation, body image and privacy. To investigate this further, we conducted a three-step data collection process, including a qualitative survey (n=97), in depth interviews (n=17), and a process of shared looking (n=10) with our female participants. We then used thematic analysis to understand users' experiences navigating fitness content online. Our paper delineates three themes focusing on 1) Qualities and Characteristics of Trust, 2) Working with the Algorithm, and 3) Competence and Capacity for Control. Based on these findings, we present design considerations that might improve women's experience of navigating fitness content online.Keywords
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