Visible Body Anxiety: The Mediatized Management Practices of Quantifying Body Shapes and Physicality

The proliferation of fitness and exercise-related social media, applications, and wearable devices has provided individuals with convenient tools for body management. These technological means have enabled the mediatized management of bodies, permeating various aspects of daily life. However, this process has also raised tensions regarding the relationship between individuals and media control. This study adopts media visibility and digital rationality as theoretical perspectives, employing qualitative interviews and participatory observation to explore the impact of fitness applications and devices on users' body management practices. It investigates how users navigate the visible/invisible dichotomy of "highlighting" and "concealing" within the data relationships of "quantifying body shapes." The findings reveal that when users face motivational deficits, they often utilize visual body tracking tools to monitor and record bodily data, enabling real-time observation of bodily changes. While "self-quantification" facilitates body management, it also generates new challenges and anxieties. The prevalence of flow-dominated quantification aesthetics leads users to excessively focus on body image and overly rely on technological tools, thereby neglecting the natural state of the body and self-perception, which may adversely affect users' physical and mental health.