Don’t know or don’t care? Women using social media fitness forums blasé on how their data are being used

Women sharing health and fitness content on social media are generally unconcerned about data privacy and are unaware personal information may be monetised without consent, researchers at Lero, Ireland’s research centre for software, have found.

A Lero research team from University College Cork (UCC), deploying a systematic method for reviewing published research, selected 21 relevant academic papers from thousands of international researchers to clarify the benefits and challenges facing women interacting with fitness content on social media.

Doireann Peelo Dennehy, lead author of the paper Keeping Fit & Staying Safe: A Systematic Review of Women’s Use of Social Media for Fitness, said users seemed generally unconcerned about their data safety and privacy.

“Our review found women social media users presumed their data was not worthwhile or exciting, saying, for instance, ‘I don’t think they’ll have very much interest in my information.’

“This blasé attitude may stem from a deficit of understanding of the extent to which their data are being used or a perception that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks,” added Doireann, whose project, supervised by Dr Kellie Morrissey, Dr Sarah Foley and Professor John McCarthy is based in the School of Applied Psychology, UCC, Ireland.

Co-author of the research Stephanie Murphy said social media has transformed how users create, share, and consume health and fitness content.

“Research to date demonstrates that despite positive sharing opportunities, women are subject to misinformation, gendered harassment, and economic surveillance. Social media usage for fitness is growing, and the industry is expanding. However, there are risks when engaging with fitness content online. Specifically, issues regarding body image issues, exposure to misinformation and the privacy risks associated with being online,” she added.

Researcher Dr Sarah Foley said support is vital for women’s engagement in physical activity, as they are less likely to exercise than men and more likely to report barriers to engagement.

“Women find support through engagement with fitness influencers, while men are more likely to view athletes’ content than fitness influencers. Creating and sharing fitness content online can encourage more women to learn about health and fitness habits and should be possible without exposing their data to exploitation,” she added.

The researchers, whose review found that the majority of research so far has focused on women in the Western world, have developed an analytic framework they hope will help future researchers, policymakers, developers, and designers better understand users’ engagement with fitness content on social media.

Lero, headquartered at University of Limerick, is funded by Taighde Éireann—Research Ireland, which was formerly funded by Science Foundation Ireland.

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