Nudging towards a healthier life? Conceptualising the role of health apps and wearables between empowerment and manipulation

Collection article | Conference paper | Konferenzbeitrag | Sammelwerksbeitrag

"What once has been thought, cannot be taken back." (Friedrich Dürrenmatt, The Physicists) In Dürrenmatts play, the physicist Möbius has discovered the world formula and is afraid of its destructive potential, which poses a threat to global security. In order to ensure that his dismal discovery will not become harmful, he checks into a lunatic asylum. Tragically, his plan fails and his discovery falls into the wrong hands, which leads him to resignation and to the above-quoted insight. The lesson to be drawn from this play is that technological innovations have a huge influence on individual and social behaviour and that we cannot stop new technology from being used. However, we have the possibility to establish forms of public governance, ensuring that innovation works for the individual and common good. Health apps and wearables may appear to be a comparatively minor innovation, but they have the potential to change our society significantly, and the widespread use of this technology reminds us that it is high-time to analyse its potential, ranging from empowerment to the manipulation of users.

Object Details

• ISBN: 978-3-86336-917-0
• Extent: Seite(n): 127-142
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Veröffentlichungsversion; nicht begutachtet ; 2. International Conference on Consumer Research (ICCR). Bonn, 2016

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: The 21st Century Consumer: Vulnerable, Responsible, Transparent? ; Proceedings of the International Conference on Consumer Research (ICCR) 2016

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Technik, Technologie ; Politikwissenschaft ; Technikfolgenabschätzung ; spezielle Ressortpolitik ; Verbraucherschutz ; Verbraucher ; Gesundheit ; Bewusstsein ; Gesundheitsverhalten ; neue Technologie ; Empowerment ; Manipulation

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Maier-Rigaud, Remi ; Böning, Sarah-Lena
• Event: Herstellung
• (who): Bala, Christian ; Schuldzinski, Wolfgang
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. ; Kompetenzzentrum Verbraucherforschung NRW
• (where): Deutschland, Düsseldorf
• (when): 2017

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.15501/978-3-86336-918-7_11
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:27 PM CEST