Social Media Impacting the Fitness Industry and Fitness Influencers

Social Media Impacting the Fitness Industry and Fitness Influencers
The fitness industry is gaining more exposure using social media. Social media has created a rare opportunity for businesses to thrive and make a profit through social engagement, followers, and influencers to create more awareness of the product sold to the target market. Thus, fitness as an industry benefits from social media marketing and engagement. Traditionally, the fitness industry was run by firms that owned chains of gyms such as Equinox, LA fitness, and planet fitness which had vast resources to market their services to the people. The emergence of social media has dramatically influenced the fitness industry, and this paper seeks to research further the impact of social media on the fitness industry. Additionally, fitness information is readily available on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. People can exercise while watching videos and utilizing their regimens. Some websites also offer guidance on the exercises you should perform. For instance, exercises are divided into categories such as belly fat-reducing exercises, muscle-building,
The fitness industry is essential to an individual's physical, emotional, and well-being. It is a vast industry that boasts of having earned $ 87.23 billion in 2019, earnings combined from fitness clubs, gyms, and fitness centers globally ( Stasha,2022). Additionally, Stasha holds that there are 201,000 fitness clubs worldwide, with over 174 million members globally. The industry is vast, and the need for a healthier lifestyle is created daily. Before social media, individuals went to the gym as a health requirement by professionals to reduce obesity or to prevent other life-threatening challenges. The increase in the use of the fitness industry can be attributed to people developing a sense of self-awareness and the desire to live healthily.
Further, before Covid-19, individuals were less invested in social media than during and after. The pandemic provided an approach in which businesses provided products and services to their customers online through the tutorial. By the end of 2022, social media had over 4.6 billion users of different channels. This includes Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest ( Dixon,2022). This meant that individuals could acquire any information they needed online without paying for them or even making trips to the relevant companies. Thus, businesses took advantage of the data and developed a new approach to marketing and promoting their products. Social media does not consider the size of the company; whether big or small, they have equal opportunities to thrive.
Additionally, the Fitness industry provided a business opportunity for individuals in fitness, such as weight lifting, gymnastics, and personal training, as individuals would easily engage with their clients online through advertisement. Also, it creates employment for trainers who record videos for YouTube and, in turn, get paid per view and advertisement. While watching videos is cheaper compared to going to the gym, coaches record fitness videos and share them through different channels, which acts as a source of income. However, some individuals upload misleading information to get views and monetary value. For instance, there were allegations that a gymnastic, Chris Bumstead, who claimed that his body was built by observi...