Abstract
Digital technologies in sport, exercise and health along with every other aspect of human activity have the potential to change practices but also the very discourse and perception of an activity. As technology develops and devices become more ‘smart’, qualitative research requires theories and concepts with which to frame empirical study. Social constructivism at one end of a continuum says that society determines how new technologies are designed and used, in contrast, technological determinism states that technology develops along a single track of progress of development to determine the social. Both of these are explored and used as polar extremes to then blur boundaries with the theoretical positions of postdigital, postphenomenology and Actor-Network Theory (ANT). These perspectives critically look at the digital and the human and the mediation of experiences through technological artefacts and human agency in a network of humans, artefacts and culture. These perspectives are explored and contextualised through health and fitness tracking devices and presented as theoretical frameworks for qualitative research in sport, health and exercise.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 26-40 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 3 Nov 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Jan 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords
- Postdigital
- actor-network theory
- digital
- postphenomenology
- technology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Health(social science)
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation