Skip to main content

Social Fitness and Gamification. The Impact on Body Health and Physical Activity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sport and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 84))

Abstract

This article is an in-depth study of the research conducted in Palermo in the year 2018/2019 through a case study. There, using the Parkrun community, have been analyzed the relationship that has been established between the use of social networks and digital fitness applications with an open-air fitness. There have been verified the role of active participation in Parkrun events on health and well-being and the impact of social networks on motivation in open-air sports practices. The choice of the type of workout is related to the significance attributed to the value of sport, well-being and body health and the results that you want to achieve. The community shares workout results on social network, and park is one of the most appropriate relational contexts to create new friendships and establish new connections. The further exploration of the research conducted in 2018/2019 confirmed already hypothesized consolidation of some cultural forms in the community and their relation to the observed social environment: the propensity of community members to pursue health and well-being goals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Parkrun was born in 2004 in London thanks to Paul Sinton-Hewitt’s idea to impose to a group of friends to have a 5 km run together on Saturday morning in one of London’s parks- Bushy Park-Richmond

References

  • Bennato, D. (2011). Sociologia dei media digitali. Relazioni sociali e processi comunicativi del web partecipativo. Laterza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boccia Artieri, G. (2012). Stati di connessione. Pubblici, cittadini e consumatori nella (Social) Network Society. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boccia Artieri, G. (2017). Fenomenologia dei social network. Presenza, relazioni e consumi mediali degli italiani online. Guerini e Associati.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borgna, P. (2005). Sociologia del corpo. Laterza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1983). La distinzione. Critica sociale del gusto. Il Mulino.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cesareo, V., & Vaccarini I. (2012). L’era del narcisismo. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nake L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining gamification. ACM Other Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040.

  • Fabris, G. (2003). Il nuovo consumatore verso il post-moderno. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, M. (1994). Cultura del consumo e postmodernismo. Seam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franchi, M. (2007). Il senso del consumo. Mondadori.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of culture. Basic Book.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research. Aldini; (trad.it. (2009). La scoperta della grounded theory. Strategie per la ricerca qualitativa (a cura di) Strati A. Armando, Roma).

    Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. (1993). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groh, G. (2012). Gamification: State of Art Definition and Utilization. In N. Asaj, B. M. konings, F. Poguntke, B. Schauh, M. Wiedersheim, & Weber M. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th seminar on research trends in media informatics (pp. 39–46). Institute of Media Information, University of Ulm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grunseit, A., Richards, J., & Merom, D. (2018). Running on a high: parkrun and personal well-being. BMC Public Health, 18, 59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, A., Murphy, N., Bauman, A., & Tien, C. (2012). Active for a day. Predictors of relapse among previously active mass event participants. Human Kinetics Journals, 9, 48–52. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.9.1.48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lasch, C. (2005). The Culture of Narcissism. Norton & Co. (trad. it. La cultura del narcisismo. L’individuo in fuga dal sociale in un’età di disillusioni collettive, Bompiani, Milano, 1981).

    Google Scholar 

  • Luminea, C. (2013). Gamification. Financial Management, 42(2), 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maffesoli, M. (2004). Il tempo delle tribù. Il declino dell’individualismo nelle società postmoderne. Guerini e Associati.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maffesoli, M. (2009). Icone d’oggi. Le nostre idolatrie post-moderne. Sellerio.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martelli, S. (2010). La comunicazione per lo sport e la salute. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martelli, S. (2011). Sport, media e intrattenimento. Emozioni in/controllate e struttura sociale emergente. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matteucci, I. (2019). La palestra digitale: i nuovi modelli di consumo per il fitness. KeepFit. Ben-essere attivo e nuove tecnologie. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maturo, A., & Moretti, V. (2018). Digital health and the gamification of life. How apps can promote a positive medicalization. Emerald Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyrowitz, J. (1995). Oltre il senso del luogo. Come i media elettronici influenzano il comportamento sociale, Baskerville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirzoeff, N. (2012). Introduzione alla cultura visuale. Meltemi (ed. orig.: 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  • Porro, N. (2010). Corpi e immaginario. Memoria, seduzione e potere dal Milite ignoto al Grande Fratello. Bonanno.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russo, G. (2011). La società della wellness. Corpi sportivi al traguardo della salute. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russo, G. (2013). Questioni di Ben-Essere. Pratiche emergenti di cultura, sport, consumi. Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russo, G., & Bagnini E. (2019). Fitness e wellness nella società digitale: tecnologie smart e ben-essere attivo. KeepFit. Ben-essere attivo e nuove tecnologie: Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schütz, A. (1982). Life forms and meaning structure. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevinson, C., & Hickson, M. (2014). Exploring the public health potential of mass community participation event. Journal of Public Health, 36(2), 268–274. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdt082

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tallarita, L. (2013). Lusso e narcisismo. Erotizzazione e deisderabilità dei corpi, Euno Edizioni. Unikore Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tallarita, L. (2017). Uno sguardo esplorativo sul pilates: moda, attività fisico-riabilitativa o luogo di socialità? Salute e Società (pp. 118–135. Fasc. 3-Suppl.) Angeli. https://doi.org/10.3280/SES2017-SU3008.

  • Tallarita, L. (2019). Sport, corpo e nuove community. Il fitness open-air è sempre più social. KeepFit. Ben-essere attivo e nuove tecnologie: Angeli.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, B. S. (2014). The body and society (III ed.). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Villard, H., & Moreno, M. A. (2012). Fitness on Facebook: Advertisements generated in response to profile content. Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking, 15(10), 564–568. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volli, U. (2002). Figure del desiderio: corpo, testo mancanza. Cortina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. (2014). Case study research. Design and methods. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zichermann, G., & Cunningham, C. (2011). Gamification by design. Implementing Game Mechanics. Web and Mobile Apps, O’ Reilly Media, Sebastopol CA 95472.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Loredana Tallarita .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Tallarita, L. (2022). Social Fitness and Gamification. The Impact on Body Health and Physical Activity. In: Corvo, P., Massimo Lo Verde, F. (eds) Sport and Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 84. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93092-9_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93092-9_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-93091-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-93092-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics