A Web of Fitness "Things": An Exploration of Social Impacts & Vulnerable Populations

This chapter explores the potential social implications of the Web of Things (WoT) in relation to health in the United States, particularly fitness, which includes physical exercise and nutrition. More specifically, this chapter considers the potential positive and negative implications the WoT may have on vulnerable users when it comes to nutrition and exercise. While populations may be considered vulnerable in a myriad of dimensions, this particular piece emphasizes the importance of considering how users are made vulnerable by larger systems in society (or societal vulnerability) and how users are made vulnerable based on the specific context of health and fitness (or contextual vulnerability.) While the WoT has the potential to benefit all different types of users when it comes to health, it is crucial to explore the challenges and potential negative implications as well.