Why banning gym selfies could do us all a lot of good
- Written by: Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate - Social Media and Communication, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
Taking selfies to document daily life is now a completely normalised activity[1] across all ages and demographics[2].
At the same time, however, selfies are often maligned[3] – particularly in specific contexts such as at places of worship, sacred sites, or when animals are made unwitting participants[4].
It’s easy to see why taking selfies could be considered inappropriate in such cases. But there’s been much debate about their acceptability in a more casual and frequented arena: the gym.
Lately, gyms the world over have been pushing back against selfies and influencer-culture taking over their spaces, citing[5] a risk of injury to patrons, among other concerns.
When considered alongside a rise in toxic influencer culture and widespread body-image insecurity, it could be argued banning gym selfies is a positive step.
Self-obsession in the digital age
People’s obsession with their own image is ancient. One of the most famous Greek myths is that of Narcissus[6], who gave us the word “narcissist”.
This is the tale of a young man captivated by his own image. Like many Greek myths, the story was meant to serve as a lesson for immoral behaviour.
Yet research shows narcissism is not only very prevalent[7] in the modern age, in many cases it’s lucratively rewarded. This explains the rise of social media influencing[8].
The potential rewards of “influencer-level” fame push many people to take risks for social media content. This can sometimes lead to injury or even death[9], to the point that it’s now considered a public health problem[10].
Various travel destinations[11] are banning tourists from taking selfies[12] in popular spots to reduce issues of safety and overcrowding.
Read more: Dangerous selfies aren't just foolish. We need to treat them like the public health hazard they really are[13]
Gyms push back against selfies
Gym selfies[14] can be tied particularly closely to influencer culture. They have a long history on Instagram, the platform that gave birth to fitness influencers[15]. Influencers posting gym selfies will typically gain a lot of views and likes, and in some cases may attract mass followings.
A popular gym chain in Melbourne recently complained of influencers engaging in “entitled and selfish behaviour[16]” that “should not be tolerated”. Much of this has stemmed from these patrons seemingly concentrating more on generating social media content than their actual performance in the gym[17].
This particular gym[18] is now giving members the option to buy a “media pass” if they wish to take photos while working out. The rules primarily target influencers who film their workouts, rather than regular gym-goers who exercise for themselves.
Other chains around the world have also banned the use of tripods[19], which could be considered a tripping hazard. Some have prohibited taking photos or videos[20] on gym premises altogether.
These establishments often cite safety and privacy concerns[21]. For instance, we’ve seen several examples of regular gym-goers[22], often filmed without their consent, fall on the receiving end of abuse or public shaming[23] when they’ve ended up in gym selfies or videos posted online.
Research shows gym selfies can also influence people’s motivations for exercising[24]. Study participants reported becoming more conscious of their own bodies when they saw gym selfies online.
Self-care in the social media age
Banning selfies and influencer behaviour at gyms marks a shift away from the previous encouragement of self-promotional and performative behaviour[25] that many gyms became famous for on Instagram[26]. It suggests people are beginning to acknowledge the detrimental aspects of such anti-social exhibitionism.
In today’s world, the line between personal and performative action is becoming increasingly blurred. And social media are a potent driver of the latter. In a sense, social media’s pervasive presence in our lives has turned many of us into marketers[27] who live our lives out for public consumption.
Online, many of us face near-constant comparisons with others. This promotes an obsession with self-image and pushes us to reach social media-worthy levels[28] of muscularity or leanness.
Research shows[29] adolescents in particular can have negative mental health outcomes as a result of self-image comparisons on social media.
These comparisons have led to a culture that promotes (often risky) body modification[30] and enhancement behaviours[31], including steroid use[32] and exercise addiction.
Cosmetic procedures such as botox, fillers and reconstruction surgery[33] have also boomed in popularity. An even darker side reveals an increase in eating disorders and body dysmorphia[34], particularly among young women and adolescent boys[35].
Exercising for ourselves
We’re seeing a growing number of fitness influencers leverage their online social capital[36] to monetise their bodies. At the same time, these individuals wield significant power within communities[37] (both online and offline) and have an opportunity to shape norms around fitness and body image.
Recently, a very popular bodybuilding influencer[38] called the Liver King – who had claimed to be “natural” – was found to be taking steroids[39].
This scandal underscores the need for strategies to reduce harm, and increase public health messaging within digital fitness culture. Banning selfies and harmful influencer antics in the gym might be a start.
It’s not just about preventing accidents such as trips and falls; it could have the added benefit of making influencers rethink their behaviours, tone down self-promotion and reinvigorate a sense of camaraderie among gym-goers[40].
It might just be the beginning of people exercising for themselves and nobody else.
References
- ^ normalised activity (scholarworks.umass.edu)
- ^ ages and demographics (www.frontiersin.org)
- ^ maligned (theconversation.com)
- ^ made unwitting participants (au.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ citing (sg.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Narcissus (theconversation.com)
- ^ very prevalent (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- ^ influencing (www.tandfonline.com)
- ^ or even death (www.smh.com.au)
- ^ public health problem (www.jmir.org)
- ^ travel destinations (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ tourists from taking selfies (www.forbes.com)
- ^ Dangerous selfies aren't just foolish. We need to treat them like the public health hazard they really are (theconversation.com)
- ^ Gym selfies (journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au)
- ^ fitness influencers (journals.sagepub.com)
- ^ entitled and selfish behaviour (www.news.com.au)
- ^ actual performance in the gym (www.smh.com.au)
- ^ particular gym (dohertysgym.com)
- ^ the use of tripods (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ photos or videos (www.businessinsider.com)
- ^ privacy concerns (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ regular gym-goers (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ public shaming (www.news.com.au)
- ^ motivations for exercising (www.tandfonline.com)
- ^ performative behaviour (link.springer.com)
- ^ famous for on Instagram (www.latimes.com)
- ^ many of us into marketers (www.theseus.fi)
- ^ social media-worthy levels (doi.org)
- ^ Research shows (academic.oup.com)
- ^ modification (doi.org)
- ^ enhancement behaviours (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
- ^ steroid use (journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au)
- ^ reconstruction surgery (journals.lww.com)
- ^ eating disorders and body dysmorphia (www.sciencedirect.com)
- ^ adolescent boys (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ social capital (doi.org)
- ^ within communities (journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au)
- ^ bodybuilding influencer (doi.org)
- ^ taking steroids (www.youtube.com)
- ^ sense of camaraderie among gym-goers (www.emerald.com)
Read more https://theconversation.com/why-banning-gym-selfies-could-do-us-all-a-lot-of-good-223187
