New research shows fitness and calorie trackers make users feel shame if they don't achieve their goals.
Experts from University College London and Loughborough University used artificial intelligence to analyse tens of thousands of social media posts on X.
Nearly 60,000 posts were analysed from the top five fitness apps, with nearly 14,000 posts judged by AI to contain negative sentiment.
These posts were then grouped into broad themes or topics. The team found people felt shame when they logged unhealthy foods, irritation by the notifications sent, and disappointment when they didn't meet their targets.
The study also found algorithm-generated targets, based on a person’s weight loss goals.
Some of the experiences led to "demotivation", where users seemingly gave up on their goals altogether.
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