Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2026

Document Type

Honors Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Communication and Digital Studies

Department Chair or Program Director

Whalen, Zach

First Advisor

Emily Crosby

Second Advisor

Adria Goldman

Major or Concentration

Communication and Digital Studies

Abstract

This paper examines how wearable fitness technologies function as persuasive digital tools that shape cultural understandings of health. Through a qualitative rhetorical analysis of popular devices such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, and WHOOP, the study explores how interface design, data visualizations, notifications, and marketing materials communicate implicit messages about wellness. Rather than acting as neutral measurement tools, fitness trackers promote specific values, including quantification, discipline, optimization, and self-surveillance. Findings reveal that these devices define health through numerical metrics, encourage consistent productivity, frame wellness as competitive performance, and use emotional feedback to reinforce success or failure. Additionally, marketing imagery promotes idealized body standards and lifestyles. While users may adopt or resist these messages, the widespread use of wearables contributes to a broader cultural shift in which health is increasingly understood as measurable and performance-driven. The study highlights the importance of critically examining how digital technologies influence identity, self-perception, and societal expectations of wellness.

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