Activity monitor via Shutterstock
Since activity trackers first came on the market nearly a decade ago, marketers and scientists alike continue to be perplexed. They ask: Why haven't these devices — which have the potential to keep us healthy and informed — become more of a mainstream product?
In a nutshell, the reason is that after a short period of time, a user has the tendency to all but abandon the device — changing one's attitude from enthusiasm to disdain — because it's just another thing for adults to manage.
At least that's one view of this technological revolution never-lution.
The Journal of Consumer Research recently published an article, titled "The Hidden Cost of Personal Quantification," which concluded that despite important information collected and shared, the activity-tracking device also reduces the amount of joy associated with the activity in question. As a result, too much measurement actually results in a decreased likelihood of continued engagement.
First it was Fitbit. Then it was Jawbone. And now the Apple watch. Another iteration of activity monitor, each that's more impressive than the last. Manufacturers basically tout them as toys for adults, but really they aren’t toys at all. Rather activity monitors — although well intentioned — serve as just another reminder that adults already have enough responsibilities and enough to manage and keep track of. So who wants to add another chore to the mix?