Sound Health: Finding Resonance Through Using Streaming Services for Health, Exercise and Wellness

This article explores how individuals use streaming services to support exercise and wellness practices, proposing that the primary motivation is not merely functional fitness goals but the attainment of a state of resonance or a meaningful connection between body, media, and the world. Drawing on Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance and theories of sonic environments and self-formation, the study uses semi-structured interviews and diary-elicitation methods with 16 participants to investigate how streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, and others are integrated into everyday wellness routines. Thematic analysis reveals that participants use streamed audio and video content to structure time, regulate tempo and emotion, and create embodied experiences of motivation and energy. Rather than simply facilitating normative discipline or algorithmic self-optimisation, streaming platforms enable users to create resonant encounters – dynamic, affective alignments with their bodily states and environments. These findings provide nuance to existing analyses of media use as utilitarian or consumer driven, highlighting instead how people appropriate digital technologies to navigate affective, temporal, and existential challenges. This research contributes to sociological and media studies debates on digital culture, self-regulation and health, offering insights into how platforms might be better designed to support meaningful engagement and subjective well-being.