Work

Multidimensional Bodily Senses in the Digital Age: An Online Ethnography of Chinese Digital Fitness Participants

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines the bodily awareness and embodied experiences of digital fitness participants in technologically mediated fitness environments. Drawing on nine months of participant observation in China’s oldest and most popular virtual fitness community and interviews with 22 active users who had been members of the community for more than six months, the study identifies three interrelated dimensions of digital fitness experience: bodily sensory experiences, encompassing kinesthetic, tactile, respiratory, and circulatory sense; technology‐embodied experiences, encompassing human–machine integration, self‐understanding, and self‐actualization; and emotional experiences, encompassing serenity, equanimity, enjoyment, and anxiety. These findings demonstrate that digital fitness reshapes how individuals sense, interpret, and experience their bodies through the interplay of embodied practice, technological mediation, and social interaction. By addressing the limited attention given to the sensory and embodied dimensions of everyday digital fitness participation, this study extends existing research beyond technological functionality, behavioral outcomes, and platform use.

Source: Health & Social Care in the Community

DOI: 10.1155/hsc/7162599

Authors: Chen Jia, Songdong Ye

Institutions: Guangdong University of Education, South China Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Innovative Human-Technology Interaction

Subfield: Human-Computer Interaction

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,700