Reflections from the ‘Strava-sphere’: Kudos, community, and (self-)surveillance on a social network for athletes

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the practice of digital self-tracking. Researchers have drawn attention to who self-tracks, why people self-track, and what it feels like to self-track in the context of sport and physical activity. To date, limited research has focused on self-tracking as a social practice and there has been minimal engagement with the specific online platforms that individuals use to share their self-tracking data online. In this paper I engage with findings from an ethnographic study of Strava, a popular social fitness platform. I propose that while Strava can be a source of motivation and entertainment for its users, and even help to establish or strengthen social networks, the platform invites users to adopt and adapt to technologically-mediated surveillance strategies that encourage and reward displays of bodily self-discipline.