Has Social Media Ruined the Fitness Industry?
Cover Art by Eman Azrak
Fitness culture has never been as accessible as it is today. Online content through social media and specifically influencers generate a lot of intrigue and information. It has never been easier to find a workout plan or diet than it is right now, but is that a problem?
Not quite. For most people, exercise is a word that is said with contempt. Few want to do it, and few enjoy doing it. For a lot of people, exercise is forced, but social media sheds some much needed positivity on an activity that is associated with dread and discomfort. Content focused on results range from physiques after years of training, a changed mindset, and more confidence from working out. People are now able to see the results of the effects for those who started training, which generates motivation for viewers to get into the gym.
As a result of the publicity, an outbreak of information is poured onto the platforms as workout plans, splits, best exercises, correct form, diets, and outfits. For those who are new to the fitness industry, this information can be invaluable. Instead of going in blind and walking into the gym without any knowledge, they now have a basic understanding of what they want to do. Yet, none of this content is filtered. Anyone can post anything, which means that people without any qualifications can post information regarding what “the best workout is” yet, it is only their opinion. With so much information, who can you trust? For someone who has the experience, it’s easy to sift through the accurate and fake information, but for those with little to no experience it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what is correct. Too much unfounded information exists. Although there is an oversaturation of fitness content, I don’t necessarily think it is a problem as long as the information is taken with a grain of salt. No one should automatically agree with the first piece of fitness advice they hear on a social media platform and should instead compare the information presented with a credible source. Follow many different people and pages to help gain a broad understanding that will help you to fulfill your personal fitness goals. Know what you want and follow people that will help you get to where you want to go. Align the information with your goals and take pieces from various influencers or fitness pages to create your own plan for success.
This explosion of fitness content creates yet another issue of unrealistic expectations. A lot of the fitness content that exists on social media are pictures of physiques. In a world where people continually train their body, it’s hard not to expect people to show off their results, but what happens when they do? First, viewers are inspired to hit the gym once they see the kind of progress an influencer has made over a duration of time consistently working out. Second, some are demotivated and look at their own bodies in a negative light because it is not what they see on their screen. As someone who is experienced in the industry and has been working out for a while, I can say that those crazy physiques, male or female, are not realistic at all times of the day. Immediately after a workout are when the muscles are the most; pumped; and under good lighting, this will make someone appear to be much more muscular than they actually are. Add photoshop to that, which a lot of influencers do, and it means that those physique pictures aren’t realistic. Again, this content needs to be taken lightly.
The increase in exposure of fitness content is a good thing for the industry. More people have access to personalized workouts from people they admire or are entertained by. It helps to lessen the intimidation of walking into a gym and hopefully motivates the individual to continue to exercise. It also allows viewers to put themselves in the shoes of the influencer and to get a hold of their own fitness journey. At the very least it helped me with mine. Social media is a platform that can be used to gain knowledge and as long as you verify the people you are taking advice from, it can be an invaluable asset to help you on your own fitness journey.
