Credit: ADOBE/INSTYLE
The fitness industry has seen many changes over the last two decades due to the advances that have been made in technology. Everything from the way people track their workouts to how they are listening and getting their music has changed multiple times. There are currently thousands of applications that are supposed to help someone on their fitness journey, but the social media app TikTok has been more utilized than all of them. Not only are the top fitness influencers all on TikTok and posting regularly to millions of followers, the hashtag #fittok, has 14.9 billion views as of March 2022. People with no prior followers have been given the platform to reach millions of people through TikTok.
Another problem that has come with this is the fact that not everyone gaining a following on TikTok is actually an accredited source. According to an article done by InStyle magazine, 1 out of 4 videos included “incorrect advice” (Malacoff, 2021). Along with this, there are plenty of people who are editing their image to look more appealing. Research from Rae (2021) talked about how we are used to seeing this type of thing from the fashion and beauty industries, but since it has become easier to do it has expanded to fitness influencers as well.
The app uses an algorithm that works to get its users “addicted rather than giving them what they really want,” (Smith, 2021). This means the app will keep feeding fitness videos and information to someone who is engaging with videos of that theme. This could lead to someone being led down a path of videos promising unrealistic things like how to get a flatter stomach. InStyle magazine described the current state of “FitTok” as consisting of, “pro-eating disorder, pro-diet culture content,” (Malacoff, 2021).
Conclusion
Overall, there is more helpful fitness content on TikTok than not, and that is a huge positive. TikTok is flooded with younger users, and it is important for these people to get the right information and to have the right goals when starting in the gym. It is no surprise that there are problems with people giving out unrealistic or non-helpful advice since that has been a problem even before the influence of social media. Like this, the social media aspect of the fitness industry and more importantly the trend of people using this platform for their own gain is most definitely here to stay.
References
Malacoff, J. (2021, February 18). The Dark Side of ‘FitTok.’ InStyle.
https://www.instyle.com/beauty/health-fitness/tiktok-workouts-fittok
Rae, B. (2021, November 18). Viral TikTok Calls Out Fitness Photoshoots Over What Happens
Behind The Scenes. Diply.
https://crafty.diply.com/6498789/viral-tiktok-calls-out-fitness-photoshoots-over-what-happens-be
Smith, B. (2021, December 6). How TikTok Reads Your Mind. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/business/media/tiktok-algorithm.html