Exploring Social Interactions in Online Exercise Classes
Open Access
- Author:
- Gui, Fanlu
- Graduate Program:
- Informatics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 22, 2023
- Committee Members:
- Xinning Gui, Major Field Member
Melissa Bopp, Outside Unit & Field Member
Jack Carroll, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Saeed Abdullah, Major Field Member
Jeffrey Bardzell, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- group exercise
physical activity
fitness
social interaction - Abstract:
- Exercising in a group context effectively motivates physical activity participation. However, the Covid-19 global pandemic led to the closure of gyms and health clubs, leading to the emergence of online group exercise classes attracting numerous participants. Exercisers are predicted to continue participation in these online classes even after restrictions are lifted. In the post-pandemic era, major gym franchises, such as YMCA, continue to offer online group exercise options, and many YouTube channels persist in providing live stream exercise sessions. Although social interactions have been identified as critical to motivate exercise participation, the impact of this transition on the experiences of exercisers and fitness instructors remains unclear due to the drastic changes in the format of social interactions. In this dissertation, I present two studies examining exercise experiences in two distinct online exercise contexts, with a focus on social interactions. The first study investigates Zoom exercise classes, an online platform enabling multi-channel interactions, while the second study explores social interactions in YouTube live stream exercise classes, a more limited platform in terms of interaction channels. I identified opportunities and challenges faced by exercisers and instructors for both exercise contexts, as well as how technology facilitates or constraints exercise experiences. The research contributes to the HCI community by presenting how social interactions occur in the online group exercise context with varying channels, identifying challenges and opportunities in transitioning social interactions from in-person to online environments, as well as proposing design implications to alleviate these challenges and realize the opportunities of the online context.