Article

How the social dimension of fitness apps can enhance and undermine wellbeing: A dual model of passion perspective

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Abstract

Purpose While the positive health benefits of fitness apps, which motivate and track physical exercise, are widely acknowledged, the adverse connection between these technologies and wellbeing has received little attention. The purpose of this paper is to determine how the social dimensions of fitness apps predict the type of passion (harmonious and obsessive) one has for physical exercise, and what the resulting positive and negative implications are for wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of social influence and the dual model of passion (DMP), this study develops a model depicting how fitness apps relate to the causes and consequences of harmonious and obsessive passion for exercise. Survey data were collected from 272 fitness app using cyclists and analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling techniques. Findings Different social influence aspects of fitness apps appeal to different types of exercisers. A harmonious passion for physical exercise is predicted by the positive reciprocal benefits attained from one’s fitness app community, while an obsessive passion is predicted by positive recognition. In turn, a harmonious passion for exercise is negatively associated with life burnout, while an obsessive passion strongly affirms that relationship. In addition, the relationship between social influence and life burnout is fully mediated by the type of passion a fitness app user possesses. Originality/value Underpinned by the DMP, the study provides a theoretical framework explaining how the use of fitness apps can result in opposing wellness outcomes.

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... For example, while WIS have the potential to support more informed health-related decisions, they also risk fostering an excessive preoccupation with data metrics (Storni, 2010). Moreover, despite their role in encouraging lifestyle improvements, such as enhanced dietary habits (Jiang & Cameron, 2020), WIS use can inadvertently lead to an increase in compulsive behaviors or dependencies (Eikey andReddy, 2017, Whelan andClohessy, 2021). This, in turn, may result in psychological distress and other health issues. ...
... Furthermore, the intricate dynamics where beneficial health outcomes and negative repercussions (e.g., the emergence of addictive WIS use habits) coexist within the sphere of WIS interactions are frequently neglected in existing studies. Accordingly, researchers have advocated for a more comprehensive examination of WIS engagement that considers both its beneficial and adverse effects (Barratt, 2017, Whelan andClohessy, 2021). Aristotelian ethics offers a lens through which to examine the transformative potential of habitual practices, including those associated with WIS use and related behavioral responses, through the prism of virtues and vices. ...
... The preliminary findings indicate a spectrum of outcomes based on implicated virtues and vices in the context of WIS interactions. This finding thus echoes the notion that positive and negative effects may coexist in the context of WIS interactions (e.g., Whelan and Clohessy, 2021). Specifically, this study demonstrates that WIS engagement may border addiction and obsession (e.g., Vaghefi et al., 2023) and underscores the role of IT mindfulness (e.g., Thatcher et al., 2018), as exemplified by the experiences of P10. ...
Conference Paper
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Wearable information systems (WIS) promise consumers the capacity to improve their mental and physical health. However, in pursuit of greater well-being, consumers develop WIS use and behavioral response habits that range from balanced to extreme, with dual ramifications for their well-being. Therefore, this study seeks to deepen our understanding of how and why some consumers manage to sustain balanced WIS use and associated behavioral response habits, in contrast to those who persist in extreme engagement. Specifically, based on Aristotelian ethics, this study posits that consumers’ habitual use and corresponding behavioral responses cultivate virtues and vices, thereby influencing well-being. The preliminary findings using semi-structured interviews with smartwatch users indicate a general tension between the virtue of magnanimity and the vice of pusillanimity. In response, consumers report different reactions and strategies to deal with this tension. This study contributes to the nascent corpus of literature concerned with the ethical dimension of WIS.
... Conversely, RRTs can potentially exacerbate adverse behaviors by encouraging obsessive tendencies, resulting in heightened anxiety and the development of exercise addiction patterns. Several fitness apps are crafted to leverage peer pressure, such as sharing workout data and providing virtual praise, as well as promoting social comparisons through features like leaderboards and challenges [22,23]. Engaging in these behaviors may result in training errors, such as overtraining and insufficient recovery, making runners more susceptible to RRIs [22,23]. ...
... Several fitness apps are crafted to leverage peer pressure, such as sharing workout data and providing virtual praise, as well as promoting social comparisons through features like leaderboards and challenges [22,23]. Engaging in these behaviors may result in training errors, such as overtraining and insufficient recovery, making runners more susceptible to RRIs [22,23]. ...
... Furthermore, these negative behaviors can be worsened in this population by fostering obsessive tendencies, leading to increased anxiety and the formation of exercise addiction patterns. Many fitness apps are designed to capitalize on peer pressure, encouraging users to share workout data and receive virtual praise, while also facilitating social comparisons with features like leaderboards and challenges [22,23]. Furthermore, the "carry over" effect of negative emotions, such as "guilt" or "disappointment", may be heightened, especially among inexperienced users of self-tracking apps, impacting their decisions related to activity tracking [32]. ...
Article
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In recent years, the surge in sport and exercise participation, particularly in running, has coincided with the widespread adoption of running-related technology, such as fitness trackers. This study investigates the correlation between the use of running-related technology and running-related injuries among recreational and elite long-distance runners. We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional online survey of 282 adult runners. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a multivariable logistic regression analysis. Participants, with an average age of 37.4 years, reported varied running experience, with 90.07% utilizing running-related technology during their runs to some degree, primarily smartwatches like Garmin and Apple Watch. Running-related technology users showed a higher likelihood of experiencing running-related injuries compared to non-users (OR = 0.31, p < 0.001). However, those who utilized the metrics obtained from running-related technology to guide their training decisions did not exhibit a higher risk of injury. This nuanced relationship highlights the importance of considering individual training behaviors and the potential psychological impacts of technology on running practices. The study underscores the need for future research integrating biomechanical and psychosocial factors into running-related technology to enhance injury prevention strategies.
... Such elements encompass features like points, badges, leaderboards (PBL), team, competitive aspects, challenges, and even financial incentives. While the positive health benefits of gamified fitness apps are widely acknowledged (Whelan and Clohessy, 2020), gamification literatures have underlined the difficulty of achieving long-term success of gamified systems, as quite a few users discontinue their usage after their initial use of gamified systems (Liu et al., 2017;Suh et al., 2017). Literature has called for more attention to the success of gamified systems (Koivisto and Hamari, 2019;Yin et al., 2022), including a deep understanding of user's continued use to gamified systems. ...
... Gamified fitness apps have garnered attention from the academic community in recent years (Cheng, 2020;Whelan and Clohessy, 2020;Yang and Li, 2021;Li et al., 2023). Current literature primarily focuses on the impact of gamification on individuals' fitness outcomes. ...
... Current literature primarily focuses on the impact of gamification on individuals' fitness outcomes. Whelan and Clohessy (2020) demonstrate that social elements can enhance users' passion for physical exercise. Yang and Li (2021) indicate that competition and interactivity may lead to privacy invasion and social overload, resulting in exhaustion. ...
Article
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It has become an emerging idea for fitness apps to be gamified to intrinsically and extrinsically motivate user’s usage intention or behavior. For the long-term success of gamified fitness apps, understanding what and how various motivations affect continued use is critical. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies was used to explore two research questions concerning gamified fitness applications. Specifically, the research questions focused on understanding the impacts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on continued usage. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate whether extrinsic motivations enhance or diminish the influence of intrinsic motivations. Results from qualitative study identified three intrinsic motivations (self-development, self-control and hedonic motivation) and two extrinsic motivations (social recognition and financial reward) in gamified fitness apps. Results from quantitative study indicated that intrinsic motivations (formed by self-development, self-control and hedonic motivation), financial reward and social recognition could significantly improve intention for continued use; and further, both financial reward and social recognition could crowd-in intrinsic motivations. This research offers insights into the phenomenon of motivation crowding effects on the intention to continue using gamified fitness apps.
... Following the World Health Organization [94], physical activity is conceptualized as "several entities, including light individual exercise, collective training, individual or team sports participation" [95]. As numerous researchers assert that physical activity is an excellent practice for consolidating mental and physical resources [96,97], individuals who engage in physical activity more actively tend to have more available resources [98]. In other words, with higher engagement in physical activity, people would be able to gain more psychological resources to maintain dynamic and mental optimism and deal with external interferences [98,99]. ...
... This finding is consistent with the previous study that engaging in physical activity contributes to decreasing university students' mobile phone dependence and increasing their self-control [141]. The situation can be explained as follows: physical activity engagement can be regarded as a favorable external stimulus to consolidate mental or physical resources [96,97]. Through actively engaging in physical activity, individuals reap and reserve more mental capital to maintain an optimal state of mind and withstand external distractions in light of the view of Halbesleben et al. [98]. ...
... students' engagement in various recreational and sports activities, taking physical activity as an example, to alleviate the adverse impacts of smartphone usage. On the one hand, taking part in beneficial activities help to decrease the time that would otherwise be spent on smartphones; on the other hand, engaging in beneficial activities can be viewed as an excellent external stimulus to integrate psychological or physical resources [96,97]. ...
Article
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The penetration of smartphones into human life finds expression in problematic smartphone use, particularly under the Covid-19 home confinement. Problematic smartphone use is accompanied by adverse impacts on personal wellbeing and individual performance. However, little is known about the mechanism of such adverse impacts. Motivated by this, the present study strives to answer i) how bedtime smartphone use impacts students’ academic performance through wellbeing-related strains; ii) how to mitigate the adverse consequences of bedtime smartphone use. Drawing upon the stressor-strain-outcome paradigm, the current work presents a comprehensive understanding of how smartphone use indirectly deteriorates college students’ academic performance through the mediators of nomophobia — “the fear of being unavailable to mobile phones” (Author et al., 2021) — and sleep deprivation. This allows a more flexible remedy to alleviate the adverse consequences of smartphone use instead of simply limiting using smartphones. This study collects a two-year longitudinal dataset of 6,093 college students and employs the structural equation modeling technique to examine the stressor‐strain‐outcome relationship among bedtime smartphone use, nomophobia, sleep deprivation, and academic performance. This study finds robust evidence that wellbeing-related strains (i.e., nomophobia and sleep deprivation) mediate the negative relationship between bedtime smartphone use and academic performance. Furthermore, engaging in physical activity effectively mitigates the adverse effects of bedtime smartphone use upon nomophobia and sleep deprivation. This study not only enriches the current literature regarding the indirect effect mechanism of smartphone use but also provides valuable insights for academics and educational policymakers.
... O desafio para não adquirir práticas obsessivas pode surgir visto que as aplicações móveis de fitness são desenhadas para serem persuasivas, tendo os programadores por essa razão que utilizar a influência social para promoção de exercícios físicos saudáveis. (Whelan & Clohessy, 2021). ...
... Os indivíduos devem estar conscientes da relação direta entre a influência social e a perceção de utilização dessas (Whelan & Clohessy, 2021). No estudo verificou-se que a influência de terceiros pode ter um papel importante na mudança de aplicações móveis, ou quando a aplicação móvel vem ligado ao dispositivo físico (Ex: smartwatch). ...
Thesis
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Há aplicações móveis que fazem a gestão das doenças e facilitam muito a vida das populações ao juntar todo o manancial de informação que os utilizadores necessitam ter para controlarem os seus indicadores de saúde e mudarem comportamentos. A influência social, a perceção dos resultados, os esforços para os atingir e a intenção de comportamento são variáveis que influenciam a adoção de aplicações móveis que promovem a atividade física. O conhecimento sobre essas variáveis por parte das populações tem um forte impacto na adoção das aplicações móveis para atingirem mudanças de comportamento. O esforço expectável e as influências sociais também contribuem positivamente para que existam mudanças de comportamento. Quanto maior for a intenção de comportamento, maior é a prática do mesmo. Estes estudos são compatíveis com todas as classes populacionais, apesar das classes mais jovens apresentarem menor resistência na adoção de tecnologias móveis que lhes permitem atingir as mudanças de comportamentos pretendidas. O conhecimento é um fator determinante para a adoção de aplicações móveis para promover atividade física. As aplicações móveis de Atividade física não levam a um aumento da atividade física, embora resultados positivos possam advir do uso das aplicações móveis de saúde, desde que seja por um período curto e quando direcionadas apenas para a Atividade física. Para aprofundar essa teoria recorreu-se à utilização de 37 entrevistas semiestruturadas a desportistas utilizadores de aplicações móveis, de forma a perceber melhor a forma como interagem com as mesmas. Os resultados das 37 entrevistas sugerem que para aumentar o período de permanência das aplicações móveis deve-se recorrer a modelos de desbloqueio, como por exemplo novos conteúdos por atingir, metas ou incentivos. É importante que estas apps futuramente estejam equipadas com recursos que permitam aumentar estas estratégias de permanência dos utilizadores pois está provado que interações mais prolongadas com determinado aplicativo móvel aumentam o grau de envolvimento dos utilizadores.
... higher levels of problematic behaviors (flow experiences) in screen-based activities [3]. Furthermore, Whelan and Clohessy [78] found that the type of passion a fitness app user has mediates the effect of social influence on life burnout. In the marketing domain, existing studies found that strategic CSR-brand fit positively influences brand passion indirectly through autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs [17]. ...
... Within IS literature, scholars have examined the distinct effects of psychological basic needs [3] and the social dimensions of fitness apps [78] on HP and OP. Empirical evidence also supports the relationship between passion and behavioral regulations [76], needs satisfaction [16], and users' participation in social commerce [26]. ...
Article
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Current gaming literature lacks empirical evidence on the influence of game design elements and the process through which game engagement can transition into addictive behaviors. Drawing upon the dual theory of passion, this research explores how game design mechanics shape the dualistic experience of passion (i.e., harmonious versus obsessive passion) in mobile gaming consumption. Our netnographic study involved a 2-year participatory observation of an online mobile game community named Empires and Puzzles, culminating in 10,927 posts and nine relevant forum topics. Seven interviews with game developers were also conducted. Our findings reveal that specific mobile game mechanics, namely farming, loot boxing, and raiding, influence the transition from harmonious passion (HP) to obsessive passion (OP) through a pathway characterized by pre-occupying, whilst the recovery mechanism that facilitates the transition from OP back to HP include alleviating. Such findings foreground the theoretical importance of moving beyond a static perspective of gaming engagement. This study contributes to information system literature by developing an empirically grounded framework for understanding the mechanisms underlying the influence of game design on the dualistic nature of mobile gaming passion. Persistent public criticism and government skepticism can impede game businesses. Our insights have the potential to generate positive social impacts by promoting responsible game design to alleviate resistance and skepticism.
... Within the domain of information systems (IS), previous studies have examined motivational drivers and their influence on fitness technology usage (Hamari et al., 2018;James et al., 2019a) and the impact of social dimensions on well-being and user commitment to these systems (Rockmann, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2021). These studies emphasize variability in user motivation, affecting technology interaction and outcomes. ...
... Our research contributes novel insights to the IS literature on fitness technologies, which has previously focused on how elements such as recognition and rewards affect outcomes like life burnout or continuance through exercise passion or through the satisfaction or frustration of competence needs (Rockmann, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2021). We extend these studies by providing a fully operationalized motivational model, the SDMHB, and by integrating the environmental factor of fitness technology into motivational constructs. ...
Conference Paper
In the ever-changing field of fitness technology, it is essential to comprehend the significance of motivational feedback in relation to user persistence. The present study investigates the impact of various forms of feedback provided by fitness technology on individuals' basic psychological needs and their long-term commitment to using these devices. This study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the impact of affective, social, and informational feedback on users' autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs. The results of the study highlight the potential for particular types of feedback to either meet or frustrate users' basic psychological needs, which in turn affects their likelihood of continuing to use the technology. These insights provide helpful recommendations for designers in the creation of motivational systems that are more successful. Additionally, they assist users in selecting technologies that align with their particular interests, thereby enhancing long-term engagement.
... One potential strategy to increase and support college students' physical activity particularly in club running groups is the use of fitness trackers (Kinney et al., 2019). Fitness tracking applications (apps) such as Strava, Runkeeper and Nike + have gained enormous popularity in the last decade (Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). In 2019, nearly 1 in 5 American adults reported using an app to track health information (McCarthy, 2019) and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, downloads of fitness apps increased by 46% worldwide (Ang, 2020). ...
... Research on fitness tracking apps generally (not specifically Strava) has found a positive correlation between their use and physical activity behavior (Barratt, 2017;Conroy et al., 2014;Hamari & Koivisto, 2015;Li et al., 2019;Sailer et al., 2017). However, while some app users are motivated by opportunities for competition and social comparison, others feel obligated to exercise or demotivated by perceived underperformance and may engage in maladaptive or unsafe physical activity behaviors (Barratt, 2017;Feng & Agosto, 2019;Honary et al., 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). Moreover, some fitness app users may also intentionally modify, withhold or misrepresent their activity data in order to garner additional social recognition or avoid perceptions of judgment (Barratt, 2017). ...
Article
The fitness app Strava incorporates the utility of a fitness tracker with the connection of social media. Since 2009, Strava has attracted over 100 million users, yet little research has assessed the implications of its use. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived psychosocial implications of Strava use among collegiate club runners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 runners from collegiate running clubs across the United States who were Strava users. Results indicated that runners perceived the psychosocial implications of Strava use to fall into three main themes: 1) self-presentation, 2) social pressure, and 3) motivation. The findings of this study support the utility of Strava to connect collegiate club runners and support their motivation to run while also suggesting some potential concerns related to social pressure and self-presentation that could influence mental or physical health.
... A few recent IS studies examine how motivational drivers influence the use of fitness technology features (Hamari et al., 2018;James et al., 2019a). How fitness technology use (e.g., if exercise is socialized through the fitness technology) drives wellness outcomes (e.g., subjective vitality, life burnout) or IS continuance intentions is also a recently popular area of study (Hamari & Koivisto, 2015;James et al., 2019a;James et al., 2019b;Rockmann, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). In these studies, fitness technology users are often differentiated based on their motivation toward exercise (e.g., obsessive or harmonious passion for exercise, intrinsic or extrinsic motivation to exercise) or by the features of the technology they employ (e.g., rewards, social competition, reminders). ...
... Previous studies of fitness technologies focused on how the motivational processes regulating exercise or exercise goals related to the features of fitness technologies that people employed (James et al., 2019a;James et al., 2019b). Other studies have considered how elements of fitness technology use (e.g., recognition, rewards) influences outcomes such as life burnout or continuance through people's passion for exercise or satisfaction or frustration of their competence need (Rockmann, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). These studies reveal how people's motivation for exercise influences fitness technology use or how fitness technology use influences motivation to exercise. ...
Article
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The aim of fitness technologies, a combination of wearables and associated applications, is to support users’ health and fitness regimes. The market for fitness technologies continues to increase, and the technologies themselves are quickly advancing. However, it is unclear how effective fitness technologies are in generating wellness outcomes, and there is concern regarding frequent discontinuance behaviors. Accordingly, we develop a model to explain how the perception that fitness technologies satisfy or frustrate the users’ basic psychological needs (BPNs) in exercise mediates the relationships between the users’ goals for fitness technology use and psychological well-being and continuance. We find that users who start using fitness technologies for enjoyment, challenge, revitalization, affiliation, or to make positive improvements to their health or strength and endurance are more likely to report that the fitness technologies are satisfying their BPNs, whereas users who start using them for stress management, social recognition, competition, or weight management are more likely to report BPNs frustration. Notably, users who start using fitness technologies for enjoyment and to make positive improvements to their health or strength and endurance are less likely to report BPNs frustration, and use driven by social recognition goals can decrease BPNs satisfaction. BPNs satisfaction is associated with both increased psychological well-being and continuance, whereas BPNs frustration is negatively associated with both. Fitness technologies must thus be perceived by users to satisfy their BPNs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in exercise to ensure positive outcomes from use.
... Fitness apps (e.g., Nike+, RunKeeper, and MyFitnessPal) have gamified elements that offer users rewards and badges and facilitate better engagement for optimizing healthy practices (Windasari et al., 2021). Apps such as Fitbit, Endomondo, and so on attract more users (Edwards et al., 2016) by tracking their digital trace data for better performance (Whelan & Clohessy, 2021) and user engagement. ...
... Previous research has primarily centered on understanding how motivational processes managing exercise behavior relate to the specific features of fitness technologies that individuals use (James et al., 2019a;James et al., 2019b). Besides, some studies have examined how diverse aspects of fitness technology usage, such as recognition and rewards, impact outcomes such as continued engagement, either through individuals' desire for exercise or by influencing their satisfaction or frustration with competence needs (Rockmann, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). These previous investigations have shed light on the interplay between people's motivation for exercise and their utilization of fitness technology, as well as how the use of fitness technology can, in turn, influence motivation to engage in exercise. ...
Conference Paper
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Drawing on self-determination theory, this study examines the user experiences of fitness technology users, categorizing their experiences based on satisfied and frustrated Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs). We observe that fitness technology users often exhibit both positive and negative orientations toward such technologies, which affect the use continuance of these technologies. The significance of addressing both BPNs satisfaction and frustration becomes obvious in understanding post-adoptive IS use behavior. Our systematic literature review findings highlight the importance of prioritizing users' informational, affective, and social needs, enabling the creation of user-centric fitness technologies. This research supports a multifaceted approach to IS use patterns, suggesting the alignment of design choices with various user preferences.
... Specifically, affording personalized data and social network connectivity, among others, are core features of fitness technology. 12,[39][40][41][42] Users have been found to share their personal health information on social media as a means to maintain connections and bolster their exercise motivations. 40,43,44 Sharing personal health information allows their social media friends to comment, react, and bear witness to their endeavors. ...
Article
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Objective Fitness technologies, such as smartphone applications and wearable tracking devices, have gained widespread popularity. This study had two main objectives: 1) to examine whether fitness technology use is associated with increased physical activity (PA) levels and 2) to investigate whether communication behaviors on social media mediated the association between fitness technology use and PA. Methods Data were from the U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey 2022 (N = 6,252, weighted N = 258,418,467). Weighted linear regressions were conducted to examine the associations between fitness technology usage, physical activities, and communication behaviors on social media. Mediations were tested using PROCESS macro, a path-analysis based tool. Results Controlling for demographic and other known influences on PA, the findings revealed that users of fitness technology reported higher levels of both moderate PA (β = .41, p < 0.001) and strength training (β = .29, p < 0.001). Additionally, communication behaviors (i.e., sharing personal health information on social media and watching health-related videos on social media) mediated the relationship between fitness technology use and frequencies of strength training. Conclusion The results underscored the potential of fitness technologies in enhancing PA levels through promoting communication behaviors on social media.
... Social gamification refers to the combination of social media and gamification, which stimulates users' behavior through games and social interactions (Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). Social media enables more users to participate in "games" with their friends to improve the role and influence of gamification (Yu & Huang, 2022). ...
Article
Social gamification design has been widely used in various industries to enhance user engagement. Although social gamification design can help to shape user behavior to some extent, this design mechanism has significant negative effects on users. Few studies have explored the relationship between social gamification and user fatigue. To fill this research gap, we constructed an empirical research model based on the transactional theory of stress and coping and explored the impact of social gamification on users’ psychological stress (reputation maintenance concern and fear of missing out) and fatigue, as well as the moderating effects of player type (achievers and socializers) in this process. To test our research hypotheses, we collected information from 450 users via a questionnaire. The empirical results reveal that social gamification competition and interactivity are positively associated with reputation maintenance concern, which is positively related to fear of missing out and user fatigue. Additionally, our research determined that being an achiever positively moderates the relationships between competition, reputation maintenance concern, and fear of missing out, while being a socializer positively moderates the relationships between interactivity, reputation maintenance concern, and fear of missing out. Our results are helpful in understanding the negative effects of social gamification design and contribute to the literature on social gamification and user fatigue.
... On the one hand, identification, participation, commitment, and sense of belonging in gamification settings are largely explained through Social Identify Theory (Esteves et al., 2021;Liao et al., 2023). On the other hand, how user outcomes take form in gamification has been successfully investigated through Social Influence Theory (Whelan and Clohessy, 2021). For a thorough discussion of Pros and Cons of virtual environments in social influence research see Pochwatko et al. (2022). ...
... The different social impacts of fitness apps appeal to different types of users. Although fitness apps have brought many benefits in promoting health and have been widely recognized, the negative effects of fitness apps have received little attention (4). ...
Article
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Introduction The use of fitness apps is becoming more and more widespread, and its impact on people's well-being has received more and more attention. Methods The relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being and the influence mechanism was explored using structural equation modeling with upward social comparison as the mediating variable and self-control as the moderating variable. Results The questionnaire survey of 1,452 fitness app users over 18 years old shows that: (1) fitness app use is associated with users' well-being; (2) upward social comparison plays a mediating role in the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being; (3) self-control has a moderating effect on the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being. Discussion Self-control plays a significant moderating role between social comparison and well-being, upward social comparison can improve the well-being of high self-control users but reduce the well-being of low self-control users.
... Therefore, in the Metaverse, individuals could display the same behaviors as others, such as following the adoption behaviors and continuing to use the Metaverse. Additionally, if an important or influential person continues to use the Metaverse, individuals are also more inclined to use the Metaverse in the future (Whelan & Clohessy, 2021). ...
... Gamification design allows users to engage in activities collectively with the aim to boost user motivations and enjoyments (Dindar, Ren, and Järvenoja 2021;Jang, Kitchen, and Kim 2018;Rosário 2022;Schöbel, Janson, and Sollner 2020;Whelan and Clohessy 2020). In collectivistic gamification, at least two users are involved and they were encouraged to interact with others. ...
Article
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Physical activity (PA) is critical to health, but PA level declines dramatically in young adulthood. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of different social gamification designs (i.e. cooperation and competition) in mobile fitness applications among occasional exercisers among young adults. A mobile fitness application featuring competitive, cooperative, or individualistic gamification was designed and their effectiveness in promoting PA behaviours and socio-cognitive factors among occasional exercisers was compared through a four-week (i.e. one week for baseline and three weeks for use) field experiment involving 49 participants. The participants used one of the gamified applications with one or more friends in daily life during the experimental period. The results showed that cooperation and competition stimulate different types of social support: cooperation improves companion support, whereas competition improves appraisal support. Both gamification significantly increased daily steps in the first week, but after three-week usage, the increase of the cooperation groups reclined, whereas that of the competition groups was maintained. The application usage in cooperation also declined significantly after three weeks, while that of the other two conditions did not change significantly. The current study provided insights into gamification design for occasional exercisers among Chinese young adults.
... An important result was the fact that participants were worried that tracking their well-being could become an obsessive activity and a distraction. Very few studies elaborate on this concern, and most of them focus on fitness apps, rather than general well-being and this research path should be explored further and incorporated in the design of a service 28 . Lack of sufficient motivation and difficult-to-use device were two of the main barriers to well-being apps' utilisation found by Ahtinen et al. 29 . ...
Article
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The well-being of students and staff directly affects their output and efficiency. This study presents the results of two focus groups conducted in 2022 within a two-phase project led by the Applied Biomedical and Signal Processing Intelligent e-Health Lab, School of Engineering at the University of Warwick, and British Telecom within “The Connected Campus: University of Warwick case study” program. The first phase, by involving staff and students at the University of Warwick, aimed at collecting preliminary information for the subsequent second phase, about the feasibility of the use of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things for well-being support on Campus. The main findings of this first phase are interesting technological suggestions from real users. The users helped in the design of the scenarios and in the selection of the key enabling technologies which they considered as the most relevant, useful and acceptable to support and improve well-being on Campus. These results will inform future services to design and implement technologies for monitoring and supporting well-being, such as hybrid, minimal and even intrusive (implantable) solutions. The user-driven co-design of such services, leveraging the use of wearable devices and Artificial Intelligence deployment will increase their acceptability by the users.
... 48 This emotion could provide essential clues for exercising the cognitive system of memory and stimulate the desire to repeat the exercise to satiate the emotional experience. 49 ...
Article
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Purpose With the rapid development of media network technology, college students’ exercise is influenced by the use of fitness apps. How to improve the impact of fitness apps on college students’ exercise is a current research hotspot. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence mechanism of fitness apps usage intensity (FAUI) on college students’ exercise adherence. Methods A large sample of Chinese college students (N=1300) completed measures by using the FAUI Scale, Subjective Exercise Experience Scale, Control Beliefs Scale and Exercise Adherence Scale. SPSS22.0 and Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS were used to conduct statistical analysis. Results (1) FAUI was positively associated with exercise adherence (p< 0.01); (2) Subjective exercise experience (p<0.01) mediated the relationship between FAUI and exercise adherence; (3) Control beliefs (p<0.01) moderated the relationship between FAUI and exercise adherence as well as subjective exercise experience and exercise adherence. Conclusion The findings reveal the correlation between FAUI and exercise adherence. Furthermore, this study is important in investigating how FAUI is related to exercise adherence in Chinese college students. The results suggest that college students’ subjective exercise experience and control beliefs may be prime targets for prevention and intervention programs. Thus, this study explored “how” and “when” FAUI may enhance college students’ exercise adherence.
... For example, Vogel et al. [58] found that participants' self-esteem decreased when presented with a profile from another user that follows healthy habits and with high activity social network, compared to a profile of a user with unhealthy habits and with low activity social network. In fitness Apps, interactivity features, or those that allow users to communicate with one another, are centered around the notion of the "quantifiable self," with users typically sharing achievements and other positive outcomes in their profiles [59]. These tendencies are more conducive to social comparison. ...
... An important result was the fact that participants were worried that tracking their wellbeing could become an obsessive activity and a distraction. Very few studies elaborate on this concern, and most of them focus on tness apps, rather than general wellbeing and this research path should be explored further and incorporated in the design of a service (29). Lack of su cient motivation and di cult-to-use device were two of the main barriers to wellbeing apps' utilisation found by Ahtinen et al. (30). ...
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The wellbeing of students and staff directly affects their output and efficiency. This study presents the results of two focus groups conducted in 2022 within a two-phase project led by the Applied Biomedical and Signal Processing Intelligent e-Health Lab (ABSPIE), School of Engineering of the University of Warwick (UoW) and British Telecom within “The Connected Campus: University of Warwick case study” program. The first phase, by involving staff and students of the University of Warwick, aimed at collecting preliminary information for the subsequent second phase, about the feasibility of the use of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) for wellbeing support on Campus. The main findings of this first phase are interesting technological suggestions from real users and they helped in the design of the scenarios and in the selection of which key enabling technologies are considered as the most relevant, useful and acceptable to support and improve wellbeing on Campus. These results will inform future services to design and implement technologies for monitoring and supporting wellbeing, such as hybrid, minimal and even intrusive (implantable) solutions. The user-driven co-design of such services, leveraging the use of wearable devices, Artificial Intelligence deployment will increase their acceptability by the users.
... Perceived enjoyment can, in turn, lead to habitual social media use, thereby causing the undesirable outcome-pathological technology addiction. Social influence deriving from using social fitness applications can simultaneously trigger both harmonious and obsessive passion for exercise, further enhancing and undermining psychological wellbeing concerning life burnout, respectively (Whelan and Clohessy, 2021). Motivated by the intense debate between social media and wellbeing, Taylor et al. (2022) indicate the duality of social media use in close relationships in terms of facilitating connection (including closeness and relational satisfaction) and disconnection (including partner mistrust or jealousy) based on a review. ...
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Purpose As the number of social media users continues to rise globally, a heated debate emerges on whether social media use improves or harms mental health, as well as the bidirectional relation between social media use and mental health. Motivated by this, the authors’ study adopts the stressor–strain–outcome model and social compensation hypothesis to disentangle the effect mechanism between social media use and psychological well-being. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach To empirically validate the proposed research model, a large-scale two-year longitudinal questionnaire survey on social media use was administered to a valid sample of 6,093 respondents recruited from a university in China. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. Findings A longitudinal analysis reveals that social media use positively (negatively) impacts psychological well-being through the mediator of nomophobia (perceived social support) in a short period. However, social media use triggers more psychological unease, as well as more life satisfaction from a longitudinal perspective. Originality/value This study addresses the bidirectional relation between social media use and psychological unease. The current study also draws both theoretical and practical implications by unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being.
... Passion signifies an intense affective state that stimulates feelings of joy and excitement, which affect the degree of WOM intentions and commitment towards DAs (Whelan and Clohessy, 2021). Fewer studies posit that passion has an indirect effect on the linkage between usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, localisation, WOM intention, and commitment (Hernández-Ortega et al., 2022;Song et al., 2022). ...
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Consumers develop a passion for the use of innovations, which is a critical determinant of their success. Research has largely examined drivers of initial acceptance of digital assistants (DAs) and has yet to fully understand the factors driving or deterring consumers' passion towards DAs and the behavioural outcomes. Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response framework, this study examines a unique set of factors (usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation) that act as stimuli to drive an organismic state of passion for DAs, and how this produces behavioural responses of word-of-mouth (WOM) intention and commitment to DA use. The study also examines how technology anxiety moderates passion's impact on WOM intentions and commitment. The findings show that usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation are significant explanatory variables of consumers' passion towards DAs. Furthermore, passion towards DAs results in WOM intentions and commitment to its use. The findings further show that passion's effect on DAs in explaining WOM intentions and commitment is weakened by technology anxiety. Lastly, passion is the mediating mechanism through which usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation impact WOM intentions and commitment. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are highlighted.
... Furthermore, fitness apps that function on a network of digital technologies have modified the exercise experience by extending it as a social experience through sharing of performance-related data with friends and strangers. The social dimension of fitness apps has dual implications for health and wellbeing, of which the negative impacts are regarded less than the positive effects (Whelan and Clohessy, 2021). In this article, we focus on one such potential negative implication, namely the concerns related to the privacy of users when data are shared across platforms. ...
Article
Purpose In this article we aim to understand how the network formed by fitness tracking devices and associated apps as a subset of the broader health-related Internet of things is capable of spreading information. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a combination of a content analysis, network analysis, community detection and simulation. A sample of 922 health-related apps (including manufacturers' apps and developers) were collected through snowball sampling after an initial content analysis from a Google search for fitness tracking devices. Findings The network of fitness apps is disassortative with high-degree nodes connecting to low-degree nodes, follow a power-law degree distribution and present with low community structure. Information spreads faster through the network than an artificial small-world network and fastest when nodes with high degree centrality are the seeds. Practical implications This capability to spread information holds implications for both intended and unintended data sharing. Originality/value The analysis confirms and supports evidence of widespread mobility of data between fitness and health apps that were initially reported in earlier work and in addition provides evidence for the dynamic diffusion capability of the network based on its structure. The structure of the network enables the duality of the purpose of data sharing.
... das eigene Aussehen im Vordergrund. Die verfügbaren Studien zu Anorexie und Overtraining mit Blick auf Gesundheits-Apps legen nahe, dass besonders die ökonomischen Involvierungen in Form von Vergleichs-und Wettkampfmöglichkeiten schon bestehendes gesundheitsschädliches Verhalten noch verstärken können (Honary et al., 2019;Simpson & Mazzeo, 2017), wohingegen die sozialen Involvierungen der Apps lediglich Alternativen zu schon bestehenden Foren, WhatsApp-und Facebook-Gruppen darstellen (Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). Hier sind die App-Betreiber:innen ethisch verpflichtet, besondere Sorgfalt an den Tag zu legen, um zu diesen Risikogruppen zählende Nutzer:innen möglichst frühzeitig zu identifizieren und bei auffälligem Verhalten geeignete Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. ...
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Zusammenfassung Gamifizierungsstrategien werden in Fitness-, Gesundheits- und Wohlbefindens-Apps weitläufig eingesetzt. In diesem Text wird untersucht, ob und inwieweit Gamifizierungen ethisch problematische Formen von Einflussnahme darstellen können. Dabei besteht zum einen die Gefahr, dass sie in der Motivation der Nutzer:innen auf unzulässige Formen von Paternalismus zurückgreifen. Zum anderen könnten hier ethisch bedenkliche Manipulationsstrategien im Spiel sein, wenn Apps versuchen, Nutzer:innen möglichst lange in der App zu halten und zur vermehrten Datenpreisgabe zu bewegen. Im Text wird dafür argumentiert, dass dies vor allem a) von der Schwere der motivationalen Effekte, b) dem Grad ihrer Erkennbarkeit, c) der Übereinstimmung der Ziele von Nutzer:in und App-Betreiber:innen, sowie d) der Wahrscheinlichkeit und Schwere unintendierter Nebenfolgen abhängt.
... These affordances are designed to satisfy a core human desire to experience interaction with other humans, leading to social bonding (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Combining these affordances with features of gamification, passionate competitiveness, and peer pressure, fitness apps, and Strava in particular, fuel the engine of social contagion, leading to sharing physical activity performance and sensitive location information (Rowe, Ngwenyama, & Richet, 2020;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020). ...
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Data sharing and data harvesting practices not only infringe the privacy rights of individuals but cause significant harms to others as well. Emissions of personally sensitive behavioural data are leaked into the digital economy causing damage to social practices and destabilizing political and informational ecosystems. Data pollution is like industrial pollution, and environmental law suggestions can offer solutions to the problem. Will a Pigouvian tax on data extraction limit or constrain the negative externalities of data pollution? This explorative research aims to investigate whether a data pollution tax can operate as a regulatory instrument to curb data pollution and whether citizens support this measure. Do citizens support a data pollution tax designed so that harms to others, affecting their core human capabilities, will be taxed as a matter of principle? Suppose excessive (corporate) data sharing and extraction practices that cause harm to others will be taxed. Do individuals expect that persons and corporations will change their data transmission practices? Our survey findings show that (United States) citizens consider that harms caused by data pollution should be taxed. Respondents will also substantially decrease their data pollution behaviour once a tax is imposed. However, and to our surprise, our research findings also lay bare a possible ‘bad behaviour paradox’: the more significant the harm caused by some instances of data pollution, the less willing people are to change behaviour relative to the tax imposed.
... Mobile health and medical applications enable users to log and track their personal health metrics (e.g., height, weight, blood glucose levels, exercise data, etc) and share their health achievements with other users via social networks and communities (Hamari and Koivisto, 2015). This ability for users to share and connect with a community of people and benchmark their performance reinforces the power of social influence to download mobile health and medical applications (Li et al., 2017;Whelan and Clohessy, 2020). It has been demonstrated that the process of compliance/conformance, plays a key component in explaining the impact of social influence on technology adoption (Cialdini andGoldstein, 2004: Young, 2009). ...
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The continued proliferation of information technology in all aspects of our lives fosters benefits but also generates risks to individuals’ privacy. In emerging contexts, such as government surveillance technologies, there is a dearth of research investigating the positive and negative drivers of citizens’ acceptance. This is an important gap given the importance of citizen acceptance to the success of these technologies and the need to balance potentially wide-reaching benefits with any dilution of citizen privacy. We conduct a longitudinal examination of the competing influences of positive beliefs and privacy concerns on citizens’ acceptance of a COVID-19 national contact tracing mobile application among 405 Irish citizens. Combining privacy calculus theory with social exchange theory, we find that citizens’ initial acceptance is shaped by their perceptions of health benefits and social influence, with reciprocity exhibiting a sustained influence on acceptance over time and privacy concerns demonstrating a negative, albeit weak influence on willingness to rely on the application. The study offers important empirical and theoretical implications for the privacy literature in the government surveillance, location-based services, and mobile health application contexts, as well as practical implications for governments and developers introducing applications that rely on mass acceptance and reciprocal information disclosure.
... It can serve as a basis for developing interventions for altering one's social media continued use decisions and behaviors. This is especially important given the increase in problematic uses of technology fostered by the development of habitual use (Soror et al., 2015;Turel, 2015b;Seo and Ray, 2019;Tokunga, 2017), and the dire need of reducing information and communication technology negative societal impacts (Islam et al., 2019;Tarafdar et al., 2015a;Whelan and Clohessy, 2020). ...
Article
Purpose The current work builds on the dual process theory of habituation and sensitization to empirically investigate theory-based mechanisms through which social media use habit influences continued social media use intentions in the context of problematic social media use (SMU). Design/methodology/approach We build on the dual process theory of habituation and sensitization and test our model with structural equation modeling technique applied to survey-based data collected from 337 social media users. Findings Findings suggest that SMU Habit may increase user's perceived Habituation and directly reduce user's experienced SMU related Exhaustion. Furthermore, Habituation and SMU related Exhaustion are negatively associated in a nonlinear fashion. Also, SMU Habit may promote higher level of SMU Dependency through Sensitization. Increased level of SMU Dependency is associated with increased level of SMU related Exhaustion. Thus, SMU Habit simultaneously shapes two opposing forces driving continued use decisions. Practical implications The current work can serve as a basis for developing effective interventions especially given the increase in problematic uses of IS fostered by the development of technology use habits. Originality/value Although separate strands of research independently examined the role of “pull” forces such as SMU dependency and the role of “push” forces such as SMU related Exhaustion in influencing users' inclination toward future SMU, a unified theoretical framework considering the triad of SMU Habit, “pull” and “push” forces together is yet to be offered. Deploying Habituation–Sensitization theory will shed new light on dual mechanisms through which habit drives continued use decisions in SMU context. Thus, the current work can serve as a basis for developing effective interventions given the increase in problematic uses of IS.
... Human-to-human interactions also include interactions between users and other users (Beldad & Hegner, 2018;Kreitzberg, Dailey, Vogt, Robinson, & Zhu, 2016). However, the user-to-user interaction, which is between two entities with the same roles in the service system, has received substantial attention in existing literature as fitness wearables and apps commonly have social networking features that let users interact with other users (Cho & Tian, 2019;Whelan & Clohessy, 2020;Zhu, Dailey, Kreitzberg, & Bernhardt, 2017). User-to-user interaction is therefore not considered in this study. ...
Article
Despite the widespread adoption of the wearable fitness tracker (WFT), the phenomenon of acceptance-discontinuance has limited their value. This phenomenon has called attention to the issue of continued WFT use, with emphasis on how the value of the WFT can be sustained. Using the concept of value co-creation, this research aims to understand the effects of actor-to-actor interactions on continued use of a WFT, with a specific focus on the interactions generated through two WFT services: choice and involvement of dietitians. Considering a WFT’s service system as part of the greater healthcare ecosystem, this paper also considers the moderating role of self-efficacy in health management as an internal factor and healthcare system satisfaction as an external factor. A randomized experimentation using a scenario-based survey was conducted, and the data generated by 423 participants were analyzed. The results emphasize the significant positive effect of dietitian involvement on users’ intentions to continue using their WFT. Dietitian involvement not only improves continued use intention, but also realizes the effect of choice. The positive effect of dietitian involvement is robust, regardless of user satisfaction with the healthcare service system. Self-efficacy in health management also plays a key role in positively moderating the effect of choice on continued use intention. This study expands information system literature by providing theoretical insights into continued use from the perspective of value-co-creation. Our findings also have implications for the development of service systems for fitness wearables.
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The present research was conducted with the aim of analyzing of acceptance and non-acceptance of sports applications by professional athletes using the binary logit model. The current research method was practical. The statistical community of this research was made up of all the users of the Strava application in Iran who were active in both cycling and running; A specific and statistical number of 402 people was selected using J Power software and simple random sampling method. The tool for collecting information in this research was a researcher-made questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to analyze the data of this research. Mean and standard deviation were used in descriptive statistics. Also, logistic regression test was used in the inferential statistics section. All data analysis process of this research was done using SPSS software. The results of this research showed that, in general, mental image, credit, necessary infrastructure, value, usage and credibility are 6 important factors in the acceptance and non-acceptance of sports applications by professional athletes. According to the results, it was found that credit and cost had the greatest impact on acceptance and non-acceptance by athletes. According to the results, it can be determined that the credit factor plays the most important role in predicting the acceptance or non-acceptance rate. Shakorian: An Analysis of the Acceptance and Non-Acceptance… 115 Extended Abstract Introduction In the field of physical activity and sports, new interventions and techniques, such as gamification, are needed to promote and improve physical activity. Gamification offers a special and interesting technology in the field of physical activity. In this regard, in order to motivate people to do sports, modern fitness and physical activity applications are designed with different types of rewards for users, who can record the steps taken by each person during the day, the calories consumed, average speed and so on provide data for users. The use of sports applications in order to improve people's sports performance and create motivation to improve
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Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan memperoleh bukti empiris pengaruh Harmonious passion terhadap pcsp, service performance dan attitude. Sampel penelitian adalah perusahaan PT Orang Tua Grup. Teknik pengambilan sampel yang digunakan yaitu non purpose sampling dan metode analisisisnya regresi analisis berganda. Dengan menggunakan statiscal package for social sciences (SPSS) versi 25. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa harmonious passion berpengaruh positif terhadap service performance dan Harmonious Passion berpengaruh positif terhadap Attitude Responden yang dipakai sebanyak 80 orang.
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Purpose As fitness apps have integrated gamification elements into their design to transform exercise into a compelling and competitive experience, this study draws on the expectation confirmation model (ECM) and self-determination theory (SDT) to propose a comprehensive framework for sustained usage by satisfying the psychological needs of users. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal study design is utilized where data from 598 fitness app users were gathered over two distinct phases separated by 24 weeks, where data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The findings until phase 1 depict that motivational affordances significantly affect mastery, autonomy and relatedness, which in turn exert a significant influence on flow. Identification and compliance have a more pronounced effect in phase 2 compared to stage 1 of the analysis. Research limitations/implications Individuals are more prone to being swayed by fellow members of their social group who share an affiliation with fitness apps, leading them to sustain their usage of fitness apps. These insights can potentially guide app developers and marketers in formulating strategies based on modifiable factors to foster sustained growth for gamified fitness apps. Originality/value This study takes a novel stance by employing social impact theory (SIT) in a longitudinal setting to reveal how users react to identification and compliance effects during initial and post-adoption usage of gamified fitness apps.
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While general health and fitness-related self-service technologies, such as health and fitness apps and wearable activity trackers, are steadily increasing in popularity, there are now increasing reports of the potential harm they can cause to consumer well-being. An overview and analysis of the “dark side” of general health and fitness-related self-service technologies is therefore timely and appropriate. In the present work, the authors systematically identify and review the existing literature on this topic across various disciplinary backgrounds. They summarize available knowledge concerning the potential adverse consequences for consumer well-being resulting from the use of health and fitness apps and wearable devices and propose a conceptual framework to explain the relationship between using such technologies and these negative outcomes. Based on these insights, the authors identify current research gaps concerning the dark side of general health and fitness-related self-service technologies and propose corresponding directions for future research. They also discuss the implications of these findings for marketers and public policy makers.
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Consumers develop a passion for the use of innovations, which is a critical determinant of their success. Research has largely examined drivers of initial acceptance of digital assistants (DAs) and has yet to fully understand the factors driving or deterring consumers’ passion towards DAs and the behavioural outcomes. Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response framework, this study examines a unique set of factors (usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation) that act as stimuli to drive an organismic state of passion for DAs, and how this produces behavioural responses of word-of-mouth (WOM) intention and commitment to DA use. The study also examines how technology anxiety moderates passion’s impact on WOM intentions and commitment. The findings show that usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation are significant explanatory variables of consumers’ passion towards DAs. Furthermore, passion towards DAs results in WOM intentions and commitment to its use. The findings further show that passion’s effect on DAs in explaining WOM intentions and commitment is weakened by technology anxiety. Lastly, passion is the mediating mechanism through which usefulness, ease of use, privacy concern, and localisation impact WOM intentions and commitment. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are highlighted.
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Technology increasingly mediates our everyday interactions with food, ranging from its production and handling to the experience of preparing and eating it with friends and family. However, it is unclear whether these technologies support decisions conducive to a healthy diet. In this work, we devised the first heuristics for evaluating a technology’s support for food literacy: the interconnected combination of awareness, knowledge, and skills to empower individuals to make informed food choices. We applied an iterative, expert-driven process to derive and refine our heuristics, starting with an established food literacy framework. We then conducted evaluations with Nutrition and HCI experts to show how the heuristics support summative and formative design and evaluations of food-related technologies. We show that the heuristics are valuable design tools, and that they help participants reflect on food literacy challenges. We also discuss tensions between nutrition and HCI best practices.
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Purpose The speedy development of information technology (IT) is indeed a significant issue to support the enterprises to spread their products and services to their customers. Although the adoption of IT in the enterprises can help employees' work, it will increase their work exhaustion and job burnout too. Design/methodology/approach The survey data of this study was collected from Chinese IT personnel (ITP): 543 and Chinese information systems (IS)/IT users: 525, totaling 1,068 respondents. Findings The result shows that the influences of the organizational factors and guanxi on the work exhaustion are different between Chinese ITP and IS/IT users in the research model. Also the implications of the study are discussed and made some contribution to the research and management practice. Originality/value By comparison between the Chinese ITP and IS/IT users, this study shows that guanxi can be antecedent factor to some organizational factors, and the organizational factors guanxi have had a different effect on the work exhaustion of Chinese ITP and IS/IT users. Given that the critical successes to the organizations, management should focus on what direction to reduce Chinese ITP and IS/IT users work exhaustion.
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The use of game-like elements is become increasingly popular in the context of fitness and health apps. While such “gamified” apps hold great potential in motivating people to improve their health, they also come with a “darker side”. Recent work suggests that these gamified health apps raise a number of ethical challenges that, if left unaddressed, are not only morally problematic but also have adverse effects on user health and engagement with the apps. However, studies highlighting the ethical challenges of gamification have also met with criticism, indicating that they fall short of providing guidance to practitioners. In avoiding this mistake, this paper seeks to advance the goal of facilitating a practice-relevant guide for designers of gamified health apps to address ethical issues raised by use of such apps. More specifically, the paper seeks to achieve two major aims: (a) to propose a revised practice-relevant theoretical framework that outlines the responsibilities of the designers of gamified health apps, and (b) to provide a landscape of the various ethical issues related to gamified health apps based on a systematic literature review of the empirical literature investigating adverse effects of such apps.
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Associate Professor, Passion among students is one of the variables that can increase learning engagement and academic performance and reduce burnout. This study investigated whether both types of passion, harmonious passion and obsessive passion were related and influence burnout, engagement, and academic performance among Indonesian students. The subjects were 563 undergraduate business students in Indonesia. The test results using multiple regression analysis showed that student burnout had no effect on academic performance (β =-0.06, p > 0.05), while both types of passion and learning engagement had a positive effect on academic performance (β = 0.27, p < 0.01; β = 0.15), p < 0.01; β = 0.23, p < 0.01 for harmonious passion, obsessive passion, and learning engagement, respectively). The results also showed that the relationships between two types of passion and academic performance were mediated by student burnout and learning engagement in sequence. The model was fit with theories and data as indicated by the results of the measurement models > 0.90 (GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.95, CFI = 0.99, NFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.94, IFI = 0.99). Furthermore, this confirms that in order for Indonesian students to carry out their academic activities and prevent burnout, it is necessary to have two types of passion. The theoretical implications of the study were discussed considering the dualistic model of passion and self-determination theory. Finally, the practical implication especially in improving the academic performance was the need to develop passion to encourage engagement with activities and improve performance. Article Information
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Purpose Recently, both practitioners and researchers are beginning to recognize the great potential of social gamification in green information technology (IT) services. This study focuses on the roles of three social gamification affordances (interactivity, cooperation and competition) in gamified green IT services use, from the perspectives of recognition and social overload. Design/methodology/approach An online survey is conducted to examine the research model using structural equation modeling with users of Ant Forest, which is an example of green IT services in China. Findings Results indicate that interactivity, cooperation and competition can positively affect recognition, which further positively affects green IT services use; however, interactivity and cooperation can increase social overload, which negatively affects green IT services use. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the effects of social gamification affordances in green IT services by investigating the effects of interactivity, cooperation and competition on recognition and social overload. In addition, this study highlights the positive effect of recognition and negative effect of social overload on gamified green IT services use, extending the literature reviews surrounding gamified services use.
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