For many women, fitness on social media is likely to prompt anxiety rather than activity
In his thesis, Aurélien Daudi analyses the social media phenomenon of "fitspiration" using two philosophical concepts.
A new year often means renewed resolutions to get fit, and images of ripped and honed bodies on social media might give you that extra push. However, among young women, observing such images often leads to anxiety and poor body image.
This is the conclusion of Aurélien Daudi, whose thesis examines the “fitspiration” phenomenon.
Personally, I think we need to consider restrictions for young people when it comes to social media, especially during sensitive developmental years.
Aurélien Daudi
“Today, we are all exposed to images of posing, scantily clad influencers. But this trend, which was normalised on Instagram, has led to profound and often harmful effects,” says Daudi, who recently completed his PhD.
His thesis was prompted by his own interest in strength training, through which he encountered the digital fitness culture.
“It was 2014, around the time when Instagram took off. People suddenly started showing off their bodies to get likes and comments. This new medium had changed the way we represented ourselves socially, and fitness naturally brought the body into focus,” he says.
Continuing his studies in sports science and philosophy, Daudi's doctoral thesis explores how this digital fitness culture – fitspiration – has evolved, what its effects are, and what role social media has played in it.
Daudi draws on the perspectives of two thinkers: Neil Postman, whose theories on media ecology emphasise the profound ways in which information technologies shape our lives, and Nietzsche, whose philosophical ethos and conception of the human existential condition are as timely as ever.
He uses Postman to examine how the inherent biases of social media affect us and how the shift from a text to an image based culture impacts our relationship with ourselves. Through Nietzsche, he considers the role of social media in a modern world struggling with meaning, discussing the existential requirements of human flourishing and how social media potentially counteracts it.
“My thesis is philosophical, which makes it difficult to talk about concrete results, but what is clear is that interactions with fitspiration on social media are often associated with anxiety and a deteriorating body image. It increases the propensity for social comparison and promotes self-objectifying behaviours. Through philosophy, we can better understand the psychological and cultural evolution that took off with Instagram.”
Although men can also experience negative effects, Daudi observes that fitspiration in that group has a more motivational impact on exercise.
“My thesis discusses philosophical strategies; it highlights the need for greater awareness. Personally, I think we need to consider restrictions for young people when it comes to social media, especially during sensitive developmental years. Using fitspiration as an example, I hope to raise awareness about the impact of social media,” he adds.
Read the thesis
Social media is fuelling a culture of digital exhibitionism, known in the fitness world as fitspiration. This trend has both positive and negative effects: it can inspire healthier living, but also creates great pressure to constantly present an ideal image of oneself, which can lead to stress and low self-esteem. In his thesis Conspicuous Fitness: Social Media, Fitspiration, and the Rise of the Exhibitionistic Self, Aurélien Daudi shows that this digital culture has deeper social and psychological implications than previously assumed.
