From “National Fitness” to “Digital Fitness”: The Paradigm Shift and Logical Reconstruction of Sports Participation under Technological Empowerment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmpe.202618114

Author(s)

Zhou HongQing

Affiliation(s)

College of Physical Education and Health, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi, China

Abstract

The deep embedding of digital technology is triggering a fundamental transformation in sports participation. From the perspectives of the sociology of technology and the sociology of the body, this paper reveals the paradigm shift from “national fitness” to “digital fitness” and its underlying logic. The study finds that this shift is reflected in four dimensions: the concept of exercise shifts from a means of health maintenance to data-driven practice, with the body quantified into a traceable digital mirror; the mode of participation shifts from presence to online connectivity, as technology breaks physical boundaries and constructs decentralized, personalized forms of participation; the logic of social interaction shifts from geographically based communities to interest-based tribes, with community cohesion shifting from shared physical presence to shared focus; the experience of time and space shifts from singular to a superposition of the virtual and the real, with exercise trajectories permanently preserved, creating an intertwined participatory experience. However, behind this paradigm shift lie multiple tensions: the digital divide places the elderly, rural residents, and low-income groups at risk of marginalization; data commodification may dissolve individual autonomy in exercise, reducing behavior to an object of algorithmic optimization; technological alienation may lead to data dependence and algorithmic bias, overshadowing the humanistic value of exercise. Promoting the healthy development of digital fitness requires seeking balance between technological innovation and social inclusion, accelerating the universal accessibility of infrastructure, strengthening digital literacy education, improving data governance mechanisms, and integrating humanistic considerations into technological design. Only in this way can the transition from “national fitness” to “digital fitness” truly become a positive force for promoting public health and enhancing social well-being.

Keywords

National Fitness; Digital Fitness; Technological Empowerment; Sports Participation; Paradigm Shift; Digital Divide

References

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