Since the rise of digital media, the ways in which young people perceive, engage with, and internalize fitness have been completely altered. Generation Z residents are engaged with digital media every single day, connecting their physical fitness identities and experiences to content shared online; today’s definition of fitness is inclusive of more than just physical activity and includes influence-driven content and visual representations. This project explores how digital fitness culture is shaping Generation Z’s health behaviours in urban contexts such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad. This research explores how social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have transitioned fitness from being a source of inspiration to being an issue of psychological and behavioural obsession. Although there is an abundance of access to workout routines, nutritional advice, and motivational material via social media, these types of content often represent an unrealistic version of health and fitness and can have a profound impact on people’s perceptions of themselves, their bodies, and the way that they perceive themselves in relation to others, both physically and mentally. The research highlights the transition from inspiration to fixation, where constant exposure to idealized body standards creates psychological pressure among young users. The study adopts a descriptive and exploratory approach using structured questionnaires to collect responses from Gen-Z participants. Findings indicate that digital fitness culture has both positive and negative impacts depending on the level of exposure, type of content consumed, and the psychological resilience of users. The study concludes that digital fitness culture should promote inclusive and realistic representations of health rather than unrealistic appearance-based ideals. It recommends digital literacy, balanced engagement with social media, and greater awareness of mental health concerns linked to online fitness culture.
Desabathina et al. (Tue,) studied this question.