Few modern phenomena draw stronger opinions and reactions than that of the “influencer” occupation.
Either the bane or boon of social media (depending on where you stand), influencers ostensibly sell a lifestyle whether it is travel, fashion, fitness, sports, or some other endeavor. The only problem is that more than a few people are chasing this dream. After all, if all you need is a smartphone camera to get started, the barrier to entry is definitionally quite low.
We’ve covered some stories here on the chaos wrought by social media including vandalism, accidents including injury and death, as well as just generally obnoxious behavior.
Well, gyms in the United Kingdom are taking a stand against fitness influencers with a ban on camera equipment in the gym. That’s right, these influencers work alongside you in public or private gyms, filming themselves exercising for an audience of tens of people. If that doesn’t sound like a bit beyond annoying, and more like an invasion of privacy, you’re not the only person.
Aside from the liability issue that gyms face with influencers splaying photographic equipment about the place like some makeshift studio, there are privacy concerns for other gym patrons. The Guardian notes the famous body-shaming case some time back wherein a gym patron made fun of an elderly lady as one case in point.
All of that said, gyms also acknowledge the influencer cohort and are trying to think of some kind of workaround to make things go smoothly for everyone. One idea includes a dedicated filming space for influencers which, as terrible as it sounds, would at least place some kind of boundary or limit on filming in a gym.
Maybe it’s just a sign of the times that such a thing is even considered. Who knows but if gyms can respond to social media with the same kind of enthusiasm that they’ve taken to pickleball, then the whole experience could be quite different in the future.
Any thoughts you might have on influencers and social media in general are welcome in the comments.
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