Social Fitness and Gamification. The Impact on Body Health and Physical Activity

This article is an in-depth study of the research conducted in Palermo in the year 2018/2019 (Tallarita, 2019) through a case study (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Yin, 2014). There, using the Parkrun community, have been analyzed the relationship that has been established2 between the use of social networks and digital fitness appli- cations with an open-air fitness. There have been verified the role of active partic- ipation in Parkrun events on health and well-being (Grunseit et al., 2018; Russo, 2011, 2013; Stevinson & Hickson, 2014) and the impact of social networks on motivation in open-air sports practices. The choice of the type of workout is related to the significance attributed to the value (Geertz, 1973) of sport, well-being and body health (Martelli, 2010; Porro, 2010), and the results that you want to achieve (Tallarita, 2013, 2017). The community shares workout results on social network, and park is one of the most appropriate relational contexts to create new friendships and establish new connections. The further exploration of the research conducted in 2018/2019 (Tallarita, 2019) confirmed already hypothesized consolidation of some cultural forms (Schütz, 1982) in the community and their relation to the observed social environment: the propensity of community members to pursue health and well-being goals.